RED
by Itherael
Summary: The world of Pokemon had been known for being vast, mysterious, mostly dangerous, but if there was something that had remained the same since the first record in history, was that it had seen countless Pokemon trainers live and die by its rules. However, there was one legend that spoke of a boy, born in Pallet Town, who by will and determination, broke them... and made his own.
1. Origins

**Greetings, this is Frank, mostly known as Itherael here in the page. I have not much to say other than it's time for a certain badass trainer to fucking shine. **

**To those new to my stories, I create pictures and make song recommendations for certain parts of every chapter, so open a tab to my profile, from which you can access the ff page of the story where every link will be posted. Simply follow the instructions to see an image, and open a new tab with every song I'll recommend. **

**You're free to use the links should you want a more immersive experience to the story. **

**This fiction will be centred in the games of the Pokemon series, beginning with Pokemon Yellow(PokePika), FireRed and LeafGreen, all three in a mix and onward. The story will also include several elements of the Pokemon Adventures Manga(Pokemon Special), Pokemon Generations and the main anime.**

**Thanks to "StarryFire14" for her the beta job. Be sure to check out her stories, she's a master when it comes to a certain celestial spirit magic wielder.**

**Now, enjoy.**

* * *

**RED**

**Prologue: ORIGINS**

* * *

"What does it mean to be a Pokemon Trainer?"

* * *

An elderly man blinked, assuming a thoughtful expression. Brown eyes drifted to the blue sky over **PALLET TOWN**, making out the countless shapes in the clouds, as he mindfully mused the reply for such a question. Three young children sat around him, listening closely and expectantly, waiting to hear his response. The old man chuckled to himself, amused by their keen interest.

The wind blew softly, falling leaves trapped within it as they were inevitably swayed by the current. The grass quietly rustled along with the gentle breeze, also caressing the skin of those gathered in the backyard of the only laboratory in town.

And as the man's mind twirled with many thoughts, searching for the most adequate response, another voice - strong, feminine, but still childish - suddenly snapped him out of his musings, "Is it a person that catches Pokemon? A person that trains them?"

The older man knew that was correct, a Pokemon Trainer was both, in fact, but… that was far from being the comprehensive response he would have wanted to give them.

"…Partly," He slowly nodded his head, eyeing them critically.

A smug voice came this time around, "It's someone that battles with pokemon, right? Everyone knows that, gramps!"

The old man sighed, not missing the confident light in the eyes of the young boy that was a relative of his. Not entirely unexpected if he was to be honest, since he had been just the same during his younger years. Maybe overconfidence was a trait he shared with the boy as family.

In any case, that still wasn't what he was getting at, and for some reason that still eluded his own rationality, he just couldn't form the sentences to express his thoughts on the matter.

"Not every pokemon trainer needs to have pokemon battles to be one, boy," Responded the wise, older man, resting his back on the rough bark of the tree behind him. Another refreshing breeze passed around them. "For example, Breeders are Pokemon Trainers who raise and mate carefully selected pokemon to reproduce specific improvements in future generations, such as their moves and stats."

The boy that was related to him by blood cocked an eyebrow, "What language is the old fart speaking now?" He muttered, clearly unnerved. The explanation simply confused him.

The girl with brown hair, who was sat at his side, simply shrugged her shoulders in response. A third child between the two, a boy with short, light brown hair, just looked on impassively - an unusual expression for a child of his age.

And just as before, yet another soft, refreshing breeze graced the man's face. With eyes shut, he enjoyed it to its fullest. Without doubt, the backyard behind the laboratory was an excellent place to relax, and the children seemed to appreciate it as well, as far as he could tell.

Then he waited; silently he did, as he listened to their mixed reactions, failing to hide a smirk of amusement.

In any case, this had been a question **PROFESSOR SAMUEL OAK **had heard countless times in the course of his life. It had even come up when he traveled through **KANTO **as a teenager, searching for adventure alongside a friend of his, many, many, many years ago.

And even when he realized that his true purpose in life was to become a Pokemon Professor, many had continued to ask that very same question to him over and over again. He would be lying if he were to say that he himself hadn't wondered about it at some point in his life.

Then, what _did _it mean to be a Pokemon Trainer?

Did PROFESSOR OAK truly know the answer to this inquiry?

His gaze returned to the bright sky, his mind searching once more for the most satisfactory reply, sudden memories popping up as his eyes became distant. His gray hair danced with the breeze of spring as little by little, all sound came to an end.

…

A voice could be heard right then, echoing eerily, but it was too far to be understandable. It continued regardless, each moment that passed by it become louder, eventually making more sense than the first few muffled noises.

…

…

"H-l!"

…

"Do-j-t-ta-in-he-e-li-a-ol."

…

"You-id-ha-wa-mi-k-."

…

…

A younger Samuel Oak blinked, his focus regained, as the voice of a girl caught his attention.

"Then what on earth do you think being a pokemon trainer is about, Sam?"

The brown-haired boy sighed, turning his matching eyes towards a girl his age, who had beautiful blond hair that reached her shoulders and lilac-colored eyes – rather unusual, but pretty nonetheless. Her outfit was composed of an iris dress over a white blouse, matching her face and frame with utmost perfection.

Not that he would say it out loud, he had his pride to protect, little as it was.

The young Samuel put a hand under his chin, slightly gripping it as he thought of his answer, not really wanting to drag out the subject as he had come to realize that the girl accompanying him – **AGATHA – **was too stubborn to accept his point of view… or technically, the lack thereof.

"I dunno, Agatha. But I'm sure that being a pokemon trainer goes beyond just battling and making your pokemon stronger," Samuel wasn't particularly happy with his response, to be honest, but he was being honest with her at least. "There must be something else to it."

Rolling her eyes, the girl sighed as she directed her lilac eyes toward the entrance of the **VIRIDIAN FOREST, **just inside the lobby they were currently standing in. A man with a uniform stood on duty, in charge of guarding the wide inlet to prevent the wild life of the forest from invading the structure. It made sense to the young boy, actually having security, as there had been many cases where people and pokemon alike got badly injured with no one nearby to help. Having someone keeping an eye on things was reassuring.

Not that their lives had been in any sort of real peril… yet. Still, he had heard stories, and only those foolish and unprepared would dare to ignore them. He wasn't going to start off on the wrong foot, and get himself hurt for acting carelessly. After all, facing the wild had always been dangerous, no matter how old you were, even if you were to possess strong pokemon for self-preservation.

The girl, clearly annoyed as far as he could see, took a few steps toward the forest's entrance, hands intertwined behind her as she inquisitively looked at the boy that wore wide green pants and a yellow shirt. He could already imagine what was coming, given that he had come to know her to a rather close degree – although not by choice.

"You're a moron, you know that?" Agatha growled, as expected. "In any case, shouldn't we get going already? I bet there are some other trainers we can beat up! My Gastly could use the training."

Samuel smiled to himself, eyes shut, and nodded his head before standing up. "Sure, sure. Just don't go overboard, alright?"

"Aarg!" Agatha whined, and folded her arms, displaying clear disinterest in holding back in any way. "Are all kids from Pallet Town this lame?" She questioned him with a raised eyebrow.

Samuel chuckled in amusement, recalling how Agatha proclaimed herself as his rival after her parents left her in the care of the Oak family a year ago. It had been interesting for him to have someone around that saw the world in a different light than he did, to say the least. Sharing and discussing their points of view had become one of his favorite personal hobbies.

Agatha, however, had become a difficult companion to deal with as time passed. Since they had started their adventure to become Pokemon Trainers, it had gotten worse. For some reason, one he had yet to discover, she enjoyed refuting everything he said or did, while doing so without presenting any reason or evidence. At some point he thought she only did it to annoy him, but he ultimately realized that contradicting him was truly a defining trait in her personality.

Even so, sometimes he found himself getting quite frustrated at that discouraging habit of hers.

After a few moments, he finally responded to his irritable companion, allowing himself to show a mocking smile for the heck of it. "Are all girls from Lavender Town this quarrelsome?"

Agatha blinked at that question, before smirking at him, "You have no idea."

"I beg to differ," Samuel folded his arms across his chest, raising an eyebrow in amusement since experience had taught him otherwise. "I actually have an estimate."

Silence ensued for a moment, then a soft giggle accompanied by a chuckle was heard. It wasn't that bad, dealing with her that was, he had to admit. Despite their clear differences, both had come to an understanding of sorts, weird as anyone else would describe it.

After the laughter ended, the two headed into the forest together, the guard stationed by giving them a few safety tips needed for traveling through the wild area. He'd apparently noticed that they were beginners. It didn't bother him one bit, but Agatha seemed to try her best to not start scowling. Whether she liked it or not, they were in fact beginners, and despite her often display of bravado to strangers, she was smart enough to pay heed to any useful advice.

She may have learnt that from him during her stay in the Oak Residence… probably.

And as soon as they stepped into the clearing, the forest's wild sounds and sight greeted them strongly, a rather pleasant aroma filling the air. This was the first time Samuel had seen an actual forest with his own eyes! It was a dream come true!

The boy was enchanted by his surroundings. It was eerie and somewhat silent, with the exception of the chirp from Pidgeys in the distance and the faint singing of many insect-type pokemon in the area, but it fascinated him.

"Woah…" With eyes wide and blinking, he marveled aloud.

"Cool. C'mon Sam! Let's go!" The blonde dashed deeper into the forest, excitement spreading across her features. Her lilac eyes darted from side to side as she let out a squeal of delight. Shooting him a glance over her shoulder, she winked and called out to him, "Don't fall behind, or I might leave you!"

The young boy followed after his 'rival', asking her to wait up for him as they were heading into the unknown without any real consideration. Oak came to a stop when Agatha did, and she turned to him and beamed, while pointing a finger at something moving within the grass ahead.

Samuel approached her with slow, wary steps, pulling out a pokeball. Observing carefully, both stood silently, their muscles tensing in anticipation. It didn't take long before a movement in the grass alerted them, a beep resounding just behind the tall grass.

"C'mon, Sam!" Yelled Agatha, pushing him from behind, "Whatever it is, it's gonna get away, go!"

"Right, but don't get involved, would you?" Grumbled Samuel, trying his best to not stumble forward at her push. "Your ghost pokemon scared away that one Mankey we encountered."

"So?" She huffed uncaringly, "That Mankey was just a wimp, my ghosts aren't scary!"

"That you say," The brunette raised a finger to his mouth, as if to shut her up for a second. "Alright, just stay here." He hissed, turning around to face the grass once more.

"Y'know, maybe I should just catch that pokemon for myself, Sam."

Samuel rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore her displeased countenance, and finally advanced, throwing a pokeball and watching as a display of shiny blue light released from the capsule. He maintained his raised arm as the pokeball returned to his hand, managing to grab it. A form materialized, a tiny magenta-skinned rabbit-like creature with a small horn on its forehead. It emitted an odd sounding growl as it took stock of its surroundings.

"Nidoran, prepare yourself!" The boy commanded as a green caterpillar left the tall grass, finally showing itself. "Oh! Isn't that a Caterpie?"

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in **RED**: **Prologue** Section: **Song 01**

* * *

"Of course you dummy! What else would it be, a Magnemite?" Agatha teased sarcastically from afar, much to his irritation. He didn't really mean for his question to get a response.

Samuel sighed, not wasting any time when he realized the bug pokemon had started crawling towards them. His pokemon tensed at the aggression displayed and moved forward to meet the creature head on.

"Nidoran, sprint to the left, circle it and use horn attack!" He ordered, eyes keen and focused, so as not to lose any detail of the fight.

And just as he commanded, the Nidoran moved. The sprint allowed it to avoid a string shot that came from the bug before it finally crashed it's horn into the other pokemon. That earned a sharp screech from the bug-type as it was blown away. To his surprise, it managed to regain its balance, shooting another string.

Samuel blinked as his pokemon found itself covered by the strings, preventing its movement.

"That was a dumb move. Here, I'll show you how a real trainer does it." Samuel blinked as he found himself being pulled back by his companion, who now stood confidently before him. Agatha took out a pokeball of her own, and clicked the button on its center, making it bigger.

"Wait! Who told you I was do-"

"Black Hole, come on out!"

Samuel deadpanned at the odd choice in naming her pokemon, watching as the girl smirked, and then threw the pokeball at her feet. Waving a hand as if it was nothing, she caught the returning capsule with grace, the flash of light revealing her favorite pokemon so far. The ghost-type known as **GASTLY **was quite intimidating, as Samuel had seen in the very first day she came to his home.

But thinking about the names she liked to use, they were a bit…

Whatever the case, he had become fascinated as this pokemon in particular resembled some sort of floating ball of black mass, covered with dark-purplish flames. It's large eyes recognized its opponent, narrowing slightly, ready for a battle.

"Lick it!" Commanded Agatha, waving a hand to the side.

Gastly floated towards it, avoiding the string shots of the wild Caterpie, and upon getting close enough, delivering a lick. The caterpillar was paralyzed in place, which was a result the blonde girl had apparently foreseen as she winked at him haughtily, motioning for him to go ahead.

The young boy scratched the back of his head as his male **NIDORAN **managed to break free of the strings biding its movement. He noted the fact that the chances of actually paralyzing an opponent with that ghost-type move were low, and much more with a low level Gastly, but the confidence his 'rival' displayed told him that she was certain of actually managing to accomplish it.

He realized that Agatha had a complete trust in her Pokemon, an example he felt inclined to follow himself. He wasn't nearly as confident as his companion, and honestly, that was one of the many traits he respected about her. Letting her know about it wasn't much of an option though, considering that he also had his pride to protect. Around her, he had to protect it fiercely.

Though, he wouldn't hear the end of this particular encounter anyway.

"Sam! Whatcha waiting for!?" Yelled Agatha impatiently, snapping him out of his train of thought.

With a blink of his eyes, focusing once more, Samuel nodded his head and pulled out a pokeball, expanding it as he dashed forward. A swing of his arm followed as he threw it towards the paralyzed pokemon.

The ball hit the bug on its head, bouncing off before opening and sucking the pokemon inside, finally falling to the ground. The middle of the pokeball emitted dim red flashes of light, a beep sound accompanying them as the ball moved slightly from side to side, the pokemon inside attempting to escape.

The two children waited anxiously as the beeping finally stopped, the pokeball becoming immobile and remaining in place. There was a moment of silence when all of a sudden, a loud "Woohoo!" could be heard across the forest. Samuel was just standing there in disbelief as Agatha danced around him. A smile slowly spread across his face as he walked over to retrieve the pokeball holding his new **CATERPIE**.

Walking back to a slightly calmed down Agatha, a smile still evident on his features, Samuel finally said with a raised thumbs up. "Got it!"

"Heh! What would you do without me, Sam?" Agatha laughed heartily, her Gastly twirling around her as if dancing happily, not that it had any legs. "Black Hole can beat anyone!" With a straightened palm held vertically under her chin, the girl let out a high-pitched laugh, which Samuel chose to ignore.

However, the ghost-type pokemon smiled, floating upside down while happily exclaiming shortened versions of its name. Samuel's Nidoran let out a growl as it stood before it's trainer, looking at him expectantly.

The boy grinned and patted it's head, saying, "Time to go back, Nidoran. You did well." Pointing the pokeball at it, he pressed the middle button as a light came from it, pulling the pokemon back inside.

"Now, we should find another one for you, Agatha."

To his surprise, she shook her head. "No need, bug-type aren't really my thing," she stated. After calling back her Pokemon, she eyed him, "You're the one wanting to catch them all."

"Well, the only way to know them all past just looking at them is to actually have them," Samuel countered before shrugging. "Besides, bug-type pokemon have high attack stats, which I thought would be something you'd like."

She smirked in amusement, hands resting on her hips, "That may be the case, but I've already decided on my team!" She exclaimed with utmost certainty, giving no place for rebuttal. "I'll make the world witness that the best kind of pokemon are the ones that can show their power by their presence alone!" She exclaimed, "And even so, I'll make them the strongest! People will know my name!"

Such was a bold statement, but somehow he could tell she would manage. Her determination was as solid as the defense of that water-type pokemon, **SHELLDER**, which he had yet to see with his own eyes. Though people spoke of it's durable shell, even in Pallet Town.

Samuel cocked an eyebrow, a sense of admiration growing up for the girl before him, "Is that so?" He observed briefly the pokeball of the Caterpie he just caught, shining with the rays of light that went through the tall, thick trees of the forest. Eyes flickering with a growing determination, Samuel let a smirk spread slowly on his face, the grip on the ball becoming firm as he gave a step forward. "Well, I'm not planning to fall behind myself!"

The girl grinned in return, following close behind him as they trekked through the forest, "I sure hope so, Sam! I won't stand to have a weak rival, just so you know! I will become one of the strongest trainers in the world, so you better keep up!"

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in **RED**: **Prologue** Section: **Picture 01**

* * *

They stopped on their tracks, and with a wry smile on his face, Samuel turned to her, responding evenly, "Fair enough!"

"You said it, Sam!" The girl exclaimed with excitement.

Boy and girl stared at one another, both showing fierce resolve shining in their eyes. Samuel felt excited, seeing that his self-proclaimed rival had her sights set on such an interesting goal. Her confidence and fortitude was, by all means, admirable.

But as for himself, Samuel didn't have an established goal yet. That was truly the main reason he decided to travel and explore the world: in order to find his true purpose in life, and just maybe, discover the full answer to Agatha's question.

Right then and there his thoughts were consumed by the seemingly simple, yet deceptively complex question: What did it mean to be a Pokemon Trainer?

In that moment of his life, he still had yet to find the answer.

…

Suddenly, as if waking up from a dreamlike state, Professor Samuel Oak opened his eyes to find his grandchild, **BLUE OAK**, waving a hand before his face, trying to get his attention.

"Hey gramps, are you even listening?" The spiky-haired brunette asked in irritation, cocking a single eyebrow.

The old man blinked several times, his eyes adjusting to his surroundings once more as he took in the sight of the eager children gathered around him. He couldn't tell exactly, but seeing his grandchild so eager to become a trainer made him nostalgic. The time where he was but a mere rookie trainer starting his adventure had become one of the memories he cherished the most, and Blue was his clearest reminder.

"Oh, Blue, errr…" The elderly man perked up, putting a hand under his chin as he tried, but ultimately failed to recall what his grandchild had told him last. "You were saying?"

Rolling his eyes, Blue shrugged his shoulders, as if not surprised, "Old age is really taking its toll, eh?"

Professor Oak cocked an eyebrow, disapproving his lack of courtesy. Oddly enough, Blue reminded him of his longtime acquaintance Agatha, much to his dismay. The irony didn't elude him, "I wonder if I was this disrespectful to my elders when I was young." He muttered, before letting out a sigh. He shot the brunette a dry gaze then, "I assure you, boy, that I'm still far from becoming senile. I've still got a long way to go."

"Doesn't seem that way," Blue laughed, evidently not caring at all.

The professor sighed, "Maybe I should ask Daisy to teach you a little bit about how to respect your elders, boy." He chuckled after mercilessly retaliating, "I'm quite positive that she will be happy to oblige."

"Geh!" Oak's grandchild stiffened, a cold drop of sweat trailing down his forehead. "That's low, gramps, and you know it!"

A soft giggle escaped the young girl's lips as she leaned into the silent boy at her side, the professor noting their closeness… at least on her side. "Their way of getting along is a bit unique, don't you think?"

The aforementioned boy she spoke to gave her a short, blank glance before turning to the Oak duo, nodding his head slowly and resting his chin over his palm. The girl's smile widened at his reaction, which was one she had apparently expected and had grown quite used to. Not in his case though, as to the old man, that boy was like seeing a statue. Even then, a statue would show more emotion, he was sure. This was of course one hilarious exaggeration on his part, but the point remained.

Sadly, not many understood his little joke, forcing the professor to refrain from sharing it. People had lost their sense of humor across the years, he suspected, but maybe it was just him. Still, he chose to think otherwise.

"What I was asking, gramps, is why do we need to take all these lame lessons when you never did at our age?" Questioned Blue with a wave of his hand, irritation evident in his voice, "Didn't you start your travel when you were ten, too?"

In all reality, the boy was correct. Many years ago, when children reached the age of ten, they were allowed to begin their journey to become pokemon trainers. He had done just that, and had been expected to be able to hold his own, despite his young age.

Many incidents with wild pokemon and a certain shady organization appearing in the KANTO region, however, had forced the **POKEMON ASSOCIATION **to declare a change to that practice. Now, children were only allowed to begin their journey at the age of fourteen, and even then, only after receiving the proper instruction.

Right now, for example, the children gathered around the wise Pokemon Professor hadn't yet reached the allowed age for them to leave Pallet Town on their own. Something that had frustrated a certain member of the group endlessly.

"Things have changed since then, boy," The old man responded with a stern expression. He had witnessed as much at face value, so it was hypothetically true on his book. "Several regulations and security protocols had been implemented by the government over the years, since the number of wild pokemon have increased exponentially."

Blue rolled his eyes, before waving at him dismissively, "Right, right. Who cares about protocols and whatnot anyway?" He smirked, pointing a finger at himself, the image of Agatha popping in Oak's mind for a second, "I'm ten already, and I'm completely positive that I'll be the best pokemon trainer in the world! I have nothing to fear!"

Professor Oak knew well how wrong he was, and was aware of the dangers that lurked in the world of Pokemon. Many times had fear been the catalyst for him to survive, and many others the reason why he and his pokemon had lived.

"Dangers exist at every corner, I assure you, Blue," His voice came out harsh despite that he didn't mean it. "Living with eyes closed and without knowledge is easy. However, facts won't just cease to exist because you ignore them. Such would be your downfall," He shot his grandchild a stern gaze, "Be sure to remember that."

The boy's stance didn't seem to waver, not in the slightest, a surprise really. Given Oak's experience, he could have simply taken it as the ignorance speaking on his behalf, but oddly enough, Agatha stating that she would become one of the strongest trainers in all Kanto flashed in his mind.

Maybe his grandson was truly meant for greatness as Agatha had proved to him many years ago.

"Bring it on…" Blue Oak bailed a fist in utmost confidence, "I'm up for it."

"Aw, c'mon Blue," The girl that sported dark blue shorts and a gray shirt whined, standing up. With both hands on her hips, she added fiercely. "You say all that and yet, you're still scared of your older sis. That's not something the _future _best pokemon trainer would do!"

The boy twitched a brow, and stepped up to her, ready to retort, "I don't want to hear that from the dumb girl that cried because she got bitten by a Rattata!" Blue folded his arms over his chest, "I'm pretty sure all that protocol and security stuff was meant for weaklings like you, Leaf!"

**LEAF GREEN **grit her teeth in anger, leaning menacingly towards him. It wasn't a sight Professor had become accustomed to, considering how cheerful she behaved most of the time. Maybe she only reacted in such manner with his grandchild?

"This weakling kicked your butt twice, _if _I recall!"

Blue laughed in response, showing clear disinterest, most likely on purpose to just irritate her, "Heh, of course you did. Only a coward would hit a girl, and a weakling on top of that!"

Professor Oak watched their rising argument with amusement, as he was reminded of the countless times he had found himself in a similar situation with Agatha during his childhood and as a teen. His mind was soon lost in his memories once more.

…

…

…

"What…? You… you don't mean it, do you?"

Samuel Oak, as a sixteen year old, stared at the blonde woman before him. Her scowl made her usually beautiful features hard to notice as anger and something else Samuel couldn't put his finger on reigned over her face.

The woman, who he knew as Agatha, sported a long purplish dress, the skirt's border being dark green, and over it, a blouse of the same color, also showing the same dark green borders by the middle. Surprisingly, while her choice of clothing wasn't necessary part of the latest fashion and style trends, she managed to somehow look stunning. Samuel suspected it was probably her strong personality and self confidence that made her this attractive.

That could be only him though.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in **RED**: **Prologue** Section: **Song 02**

* * *

Whatever the case, the woman in particular didn't look happy at all. All Samuel could do was to respond to her with an honest heart, even if hers would be hurt in the process. He owed her that much considering the long journey they had walked together.

"I do, Agatha," Responded the man, not showing any sign of doubt or hesitation. He had clear on his mind what he truly wanted to do… finally, "I will attend the Celadon University beginning this spring. I want to study and understand the relationship between Pokemon and humans. There are so many mysteries regarding this particular subject. Someone needs to uncover them."

Even at this point of his life, he understood little, next to nothing about pokemon, not even his own.

The woman's scowl deepened at his statement, lilac orbs narrowing in clear disapproval. She stepped closer to him, the well-taken grass of the main yard outside the **WORLD LEAGUE** frontal building rustling with the cold, continuous breeze.

"You just became the World Champion for heaven's sake!" Growled Agatha furiously, leaning at him with a menacing posture, gaze sharp and unforgiving. "That trophy in your hand is the proof that you did! You just can't abandon that position like it means nothing!"

"There's no law that says that I can't, Agatha," He countered sternly. "I don't really feel accomplished with myself. Even at this point… I…" Gaze becoming distant, he sighed, honestly uncertain of the future. "I have yet to find the answer I seek."

"Are you still on about that, Sam? You've beaten the toughest trainers from all regions!" She stated angrily, reminding him of his past victories, "Isn't it obvious? The answer is as clear as the crystals of the Seafoam Islands! To be a pokemon trainer is to be strong, so you can defeat anyone that stands in your way!"

Agatha had proved that much throughout her career as a pokemon trainer, and she had made sure everyone that stood in her way knew it. Interestingly enough, while Samuel Oak had followed a similar path, his focus and reason for victory had been entirely centred on the bonds he created with the pokemon of his own. They were very different people, and somehow Agatha didn't understand that.

Samuel sighed, sitting on the bench behind him, "That's not it, Agatha."

The woman's scowl only deepened, her teeth grit in response, "It is!" She yelled furiously, "Pokemon are for battling! Wasting your abilities as a researcher is simply stupid! I won't let you abandon this title, Sam! We…" Her voice faded instantly, before returning as a low growl. "We've been together for so long, come so far… I lost to you… I acknowledged your skills and accepted you as my rival… and yet…" Her voice broke, much to Samuel's surprise, however, anger was soon to coat it, "And yet!"

The young man closed his eyes for a few seconds before observing her stoically, unresponsive to her outburst, having already gotten used to her explosive and irritable personality. He wished she had come to understand his point of view during their travels, but that was never meant to be. She was too proud to accept his thinking, and he was too rational to accept hers.

In all honesty, Samuel Oak had expected this reaction.

"Agatha, being a Pokemon trainer goes beyond mere pokemon battles and research, there's just _more_," He admitted, "But I believe that the path of study will help me uncover my true goal, and many mysteries regarding humans and Pokemon. This is my call, my decision. I will become the next Pokemon Professor."

If there had been one thing in his entire life he was sure about, it was this decision. There was no other path for him, not if he truly meant to leave a mark in the world. A title meant nothing, not compared to discovering the mysteries of pokemon that would help all future generations of pokemon trainers.

Maybe Samuel Oak would succeed – or maybe not – but he was willing to give it as many shots as it would require.

Agatha dropped her shoulders, lips pressed tightly together, but only for a moment before a sudden fiery glint shone in her gaze, "Then you leave me no choice, Sam. I challenge you to a Pokemon Battle!" She glared at him, adding vigorously, "Should I emerge victorious, then you'll stop this senseless intent of becoming a researcher this instant!"

Samuel raised an eyebrow, actually startled by the sudden challenge, "Agatha, this is my decision. I will pursue the path of research, that's my new goal, and my dream." He dropped his gaze, a stern expression invading his features, "But as your rival, I wouldn't dare to not accept your challenge, so let's settle this," Balling a fist and raising it, he spoke firmly, "If I win, you will desist on trying to change my mind. For good. Do we have a deal?"

He could have asked much more in return, but the respect and admiration he felt for his long-time friend made him refrain from it. Asking that much, just that she would respect his decision and let him go, was enough for him.

His words were followed by silence. In that very moment, for the first time, he saw the always strong-willed Agatha sporting a nervous expression, her stance unsteady and her hands shaking as if she feared the outcome of their battle.

Samuel knew this went beyond a mere rivalry. He cherished her, and if he was to admit it, Agatha had many times expressed in her own unique way how she felt the same, but he wasn't willing to renounce his dream just because she was too stubborn to accept it.

He was certain that this battle would define the future of their friendship.

He was willing to accept whatever outcome came from it, and Agatha would have to do the same.

The woman dressed in a gothic dress bit her lip, "Sam… why do you always…?" Tears trailed down her cheeks - something he'd failed to notice before - and his eyes widened slightly in shock, "Despite being so smart, you never understand anything…"

Samuel sighed wearily, "That's exactly the reason why I want to become a researcher, Agatha. I want to understand."

The world of pokemon and their relation to humans was pretty much a mystery, that much he had noticed during his travels. It was time for someone to uncover them, he concluded.

Wiping her tears, she grit her teeth, "Fool… that's not it!" She growled in mischief, "It doesn't matter, I won't allow you to waste your talent!" Pulling from her purse a pokeball, she exclaimed, "Sam, prepare for battle! I won't hold back! Go Black Hole!"

Agatha threw the ball, releasing upon landing the ghost type pokemon she cherished the most, and was actually her strongest. A purplish gaseous-like form appeared, its disembodied hands floating alongside its large head, three spiky protrusions on both its sides.

The pokemon's triangular eyes recognized him in an instant, a large smirk appearing on it.

"Sending Haunter so soon? You really mean it, don't you?" Samuel folded his arms, glancing at the award medallion hanging from his neck, "And it's a not a Gastly anymore. Calling it 'Black Hole' doesn't make any sense now that it evolved."

"Shut up and fight!" Snapped Agatha furiously.

Leaving the trophy on the bench, he stood up, his countenance becoming sharp. He reached a hand to his belt and grabbed a pokeball before stating with a firm tone, "So be it, Agatha." Raising the hand that gripped the pokeball, he declared, "Go Exeggutor!"

Pressing the button in the middle, the pokeball opened and released energy that traveled to the ground before him, his arm positioned correctly to resist the recoil from the released energy. Where light gathered and dispersed was now a tall bipedal creature that resembled a palm tree. It had three round, yellow heads at its top from which leaves protruded out, and each head displayed a different expression.

This dual-type grass/psychic pokemon was, of course, one of Samuel's strongest, and trusted companions, which he'd managed to capture as a tiny **EXEGGCUTE **when he explored the **SAFARI ZONE**. He had become fascinated with this Pokemon in particular as he discovered that it could only evolve with the use of one of those rare and expensive Leaf Stones.

The bipedal creature released a loud screech, the sound repeated by each head, thus creating a rather weird chorus. Agatha narrowed her gaze, as if realizing that her rival wasn't about to hold back either.

"I'm going all out, Sam!" She exclaimed, her Pokemon already moving to engage, "Black Hole! Use Shadow Ball!"

The Ghost pokemon raised one of its hands, a medium-sized ball of dark energy accumulating rapidly before it was sent towards Samuel's pokemon.

"Confusion!" Commanded the teenager firmly, **EXEGGUTOR **releasing a cry before waves of psychic energy were released from the three heads.

The pulses crashed with the dark ball of energy, an explosion occurring, accompanied by a blinding flash of light created by the opposing forces. It was just before the flash that Samuel managed to see new tears appearing at the corner of her eyes, before everything became white.

…

Blinking eyes finally allowed an elderly man to snap out from his trance. His gaze adjusted to the surroundings, the current ones… as his memories of the past faded from his mind once more. He was soon to catch the surprisingly still-ongoing discussion between his grandson and one of the most promising students in all Pallet Town.

"T-that's not true!" Stammered the young Leaf, cheeks slightly red of embarrassment, "I-I only helped him study b-because he got hurt with that Mankey and missed some classes!"

Blue laughed haughtily in response, unnerving her even more, "Was it because of that?" And turning to the light brown-haired boy with a blank expression, he added, "Seriously dude, you'll never become a pokemon trainer if you let some annoying brat babysit you all the time."

The boy gave no response, nor showed any reaction, however…

"You…" Leaf grit her teeth in anger and gave a menacing step forward, "Who are you calling brat?"

The spiky-haired brunette blinked in slight surprise at her aggressiveness, but then smirked cockily, "Who else would I be calling brat." With hands pocketed in his pants, Blue also leaned toward her in retaliation, "I don't see any other than you… brat."

Professor Oak raised an eyebrow as a punch landed on his grandson's face, courtesy of the young girl. Blue fell on his butt after letting out a cry of pain, and glared at her as he rubbed his aching cheek. Not minding it, Leaf spun around in disinterest.

"Tch…" Blue averted his gaze aside, looking less than pleased. "That punch was nothing."

"You should apologize for being such a jerk, Blue!" The girl shot back, arms folded.

He shrugged his shoulders, standing to his feet, "Why should I apologize to some irritating brat?"

And before they knew it, their discussion turned violent once more.

To this turn of events, Samuel only sighed, and hoped that these two wouldn't suffer the same fate he and Agatha had for being too proud to accept their mistakes. He truly regretted not putting any effort into trying to fix things with his childhood friend when he should have.

"Hey, you two. Stop it already!" The old man spoke sternly, "Aren't you two friends?"

"Friends? With him?"/"Are you joking, gramps?" Both Leaf and Blue pointed at one another, looking at him in disbelief. "No way!" / "I'd rather die!"

And then more shouts came, their discussion heating up to a worrying degree. The wise professor stood up and put a hand over their heads, stopping them short instantly. Both looked up at him with blinking eyes as the man assumed a stoic expression.

"Don't say that," Professor Oak admonished. "You've known each other for years now. Shouldn't you two getting along instead of fighting all the time?"

The young girl stuck her tongue at the brunette, which made him twitch a brow in annoyance. Expected reactions from children, if he was to be honest.

"She's simply irritating and nags me all the time!" Stated Blue with a huff.

Leaf looked up in a haughty manner, as if imitating Blue's usual demeanour, "Well, what else I'm supposed to do with mean and jerkish little kids?"

"What did you say!?" The boy barked, gritting his teeth.

And as soon as the two energetic children seemed to be ready to start another non-friendly discussion, the old man coughed into his closed hand to catch their attention. The two stopped, much to his relief.

"You two know that friends are an important element to being a pokemon trainer, right?"

His question earned him two baffled expressions, Blue's also filled with a rising sense of disbelief. The girl decided then to sit back, right at the side of the still silent boy that only continued to observe the situation unfold without interfering.

"Don't tell me you believe that crap?" Blue snorted with a raised eyebrow, slightly surprised.

A smack landed on the brunette's head, delivered by none other than his own grandfather. Blue winced and glared at the old man, "Hey! What was that for?"

"Watch your tongue, kid. Who taught you to use those words?" He questioned sharply, pocketing his hands in his lab coat, his face sporting disapproval. "Only ten years old, and already speaking like that?"

"Who cares, gramps!"

Professor Oak rebuked with a frown, "I care, boy. Daisy and your parents do, too."

"They are all lame!" The young boy retorted, "And who needs friends, anyway?"

And where there should have been anger, which was honestly what Blue expected from his grandfather, the pokemon professor's distant expression made him realize that there was apparently more to it than that.

And as for the professor himself, his gaze became lost in the immensity of the sky, certain memories coming back to him in rapid succession.

…

…

…

"I can't believe it… so you truly graduated…"

Samuel Oak, who would be referred to as a researcher from this day onward, smiled at the greeting of his two best male friends. The man stood inside a large hall where the after-graduation party was taking place. Many influential figures were also present, such as the president of the renowned company **SILPH CO **and the wealthy chairman of the **POKEMON FAN CLUB** in Kanto.

It was not a surprise seeing such figures assisting the graduation ceremony taking place in **CELADON UNIVERSITY**, where multiple new, and promising researchers would start their careers.

The **POKEMON ASSOCIATION** truly recognized the effort of every researcher in the region, as they made great advances across the years regarding the creation of pokemon via manipulation of DNA, and even the project that was being developed in **CINNABAR ISLAND**, which involved creating an artificial pokemon made entirely of computer data.

Samuel Oak also knew well of the rising interest for innovation and the development of technology in Kanto, which allowed researchers to get funds from many large enterprises. This party, for example, was a great chance to start getting influences and meeting people that could become potential sponsors.

But in that moment, that didn't matter to him. All he wanted was to spend a relaxing moment with his two closest friends, who he hadn't seen in years - not since he started his internship in the lab of the renowned researcher, **PROFESSOR WESTWOOD V**, on Cinnabar Island.

Seeing his two friends suddenly appearing during his graduation came as a pleasant surprise, as both resided in another region, known as **JOHTO**, and neither one of them notified him of their plans to attend his graduation.

Samuel laughed, "Of course I graduated. I told you Pryce, this was my dream." And since he finally managed to see his old time friend, something he heard some months ago came to his mind, "By the way, I heard someone presented a document to the Association in Johto to challenge the current Gym leader in Mahogany Town."

**PRYCE**, who had shoulder-length, brown hair, and sported a dark blue tuxedo, blinked in surprise, "How do you…?"

"Know?" The just-graduated man finished the line, and folded his arms as a smile found a way into his face, "Who else would try to take the position as the new Gym-leader of Ice-type pokemon?" And as his friend was about to retort, Samuel added, "Not to mention that Sheyla told me about it."

"So it was that woman?" Pryce sighed in realization.

"She works in the Association after all."

"How do you know about that when I don't? I mean, you don't even live in Kanto." A third voice came, belonging to the other man that was dressed in a stylish black and gray Kimono, a set of clothing popular in the Johto region. "Pryce just disappeared and didn't visit! Just a week ago he came to my house to tell me that you were graduating. He didn't even visit me during my graduation last year," He looked away, apparently disappointed, before muttering, "Some kind of friend he is."

The man that specialized in ice-type pokemon rolled his eyes, "Stop that melodrama already, Kurt. I told you I went on a journey to train more with my pokemon," The kimono-wearing man explained.

**KURT** cocked an eyebrow, blankly gazing back at him, "Again? Haven't you trained enough? Your expertise in Ice types can't be surpassed by anyone at this point."

"I still have to defeat the current gym leader, so I can't let my team and I lose our edge. I'll keep training as hard as I can until the Association approves my challenge proposition. Once they do, I'll take the position of Ice-Type Gym leader in Johto," Folding his arms, he shot him an inquisitive gaze, "As someone that specializes in Pokeball technology, you should know that the only way to retain knowledge and skill is with continuous practice, am I correct?"

Samuel Oak grinned, actually concurring with the man. He had a point after all.

Kurt rolled his eyes, "Don't mix things up! You know how difficult is to create pokeballs with special properties? My research on apricorns may lead us to that, which would be a great help in catching wild pokemon, unlike your goal."

"Pokeballs made of Apricorns?" Pryce smiled mockingly, still finding that goal ridiculous and very unlikely to happen, "Still on that I see…" He sighed, arms folded, "You're wasting time following that delusion, you crazy man."

"I'm not the one sitting under a waterfall for hours in order to become _stronger,_ if I recall," Kurt countered with a shrug. At his side, Samuel fought the urge to laugh, "How am I the crazy one here?"

And as was usual, their argument began, both bringing up their own points of view and funnily enough, not allowing one another to explain them. A conversation that wouldn't go anywhere, that's for sure.

Having passed several minutes, Samuel deadpanned at the sight before him, "Are you two here to fight like a couple of kids or to celebrate with me?" Surprisingly, that was enough to stop their senseless banter, "Finally!"

Pryce and Kurt glanced at him, and then between themselves before they broke into laughter, Oak joining them heartily. Some moments passed as it came to an end, their attention caught by a group of men garbed in black suits, following a man they recognized immediately.

"Wait a minute… isn't that Doctor Fuji?" Asked Pryce in disbelief.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in **RED**: **Prologue** Section: **Song 03**

* * *

Professor Oak frowned, recalling he had met **DR. FUJI** personally and even worked with him for a couple of days during his internship. The doctor, however, had to leave the island suddenly due to a family matter, from what he had heard anyway. He hadn't seen him since, until today that is.

"He's here to scout new researchers for some big project," Informed Kurt, observing the man of their current focus carefully. "I'm not sure about the details, but he's apparently looking for people that have pursued Molecular Genetics specifically. An assistant of mine with that specialization received a job offer for this thing just some days ago."

"That's strange…" Samuel muttered to himself, a hand under his jaw, "I don't think Dr. Fuji ever specialized in that branch. Besides, during my internship, he told me that he's developing a much more effective healing station that would heal Pokemon in less than two minutes."

Pryce raised an eyebrow in interest, "Is that so? Having to wait almost half an hour's a pain, so healing pokemon that fast would actually be pretty good."

Samuel could agree. During the years he spent as a pokemon trainer, a more effective healing station would have been very helpful during his travels.

Kurt folded his arms, assuming a calm expression, "I'm not sure he's still working in that given that he's apparently focusing into that other project though. But if he's set on that, we might as well see where his research leads to. The PSF isn't supporting him for some reason, so he's probably searching for supporters by himself."

"You mean the Pokemon Scientific Federation? That's odd…" Samuel Oak narrowed his gaze, "Someone of his caliber should have easily gotten an approval from the PSF to get funds."

Pryce picked up a glass of wine from a passing waiter, "Unless it's a personal goal. Maybe the PSF didn't see that project of his as beneficial for Kanto."

Samuel Oak smirked, hands pocketed on his lab coat, "Well, he seemed to be a decent and wise man, so I'm positive that his project will be a great one." His gaze became distant, "Maybe he just realized what he truly wanted to do."

"You think?" Pryce narrowed his gaze, taking another sip of the cup of wine in his hand.

"Yeah… but I won't fall behind. Just because I graduated doesn't mean there's not still a lot to learn. This is just the beginning of my career, the first step in becoming a full-fledged Pokemon Professor." The brown-haired man said, determined, "I will create the ultimate Pokemon Encyclopedia to help future generations of trainers in their travels, that's my current goal."

"Well, you're not the only one with a goal in mind," Kurt nodded his head with a smile, punching Oak's arm lightly. "I don't care if everyone say it's impossible, I'll create apricorn-made pokeballs. That's a promise I made to myself."

"And I'll become Mahogany's gym leader," Added Pryce confidently, patting Samuel's back playfully.

The trio of men exchanged determined stares when a young, attractive woman with wide hips passed close by, winking boldly at the just graduated professor. The trio watched her as she joined another group of gathered people.

"Heh, someone continues to be popular with the ladies, I see," Kurt chuckled, Samuel Oak cocking an eyebrow. "Did you already forget Agatha?"

"What are you talking about?" Questioned the man with spiky brown hair, "Besides, I haven't even heard from her in over two years."

Kurt blinked, sporting incredulity. "What? Seriously? Haven't you heard that she became one of the Elite Four?"

Surprise came with that revelation, a bit of glee in the mix, "…She did?"

"Yeah," Confirmed Kurt with a shrug, "She's one of the toughest trainers in the whole region now. Officially that is."

Pryce smirked, "Heh, if I cared for Kanto's League, I'd easily become part of the Elite Four or even the next champion… but nah… I made a promise, and I'll see it through."

"Haven't forgot about that, have you?" Asked Kurt, slightly amazed.

"Of course I haven't," With a fierce voice and a bailed fist, Pryce responded, "I belong to that town, and I'll accomplish my father's dream, and mine at the same time."

Samuel couldn't suppress a smile from popping up. He knew Pryce was the very definition of the word determination, that much he had proven over the years.. Oak had learned so much from him, helping him forge his road to take the title of champion several years ago. Though, he wasn't about to reveal that to his good friend, since he suspected he would never hear the end of it.

"We know you will," The pokeball expert put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

That matter aside, Samuel chuckled, focusing once more in the news regarding a certain venom-type pokemon specialist, "In any case, I'm not that surprised about Agatha becoming one of the Elite Four. She's an amazing trainer, and a battle expert. I barely defeated her the last time we battled."

Kurt put on a cocky expression, "A battle of Love?"

Samuel Oak deadpanned in response, "Don't you start."

"I bet she's still into you, even if you did blew her off," Pryce added in a mocking tone, something that irked Samuel to the very core. That was a delicate subject, after all.

"I didn't blow her off!" Shouted the now irritated man, rightfully glaring at his friends.

Both men started to laugh at his expense, and all he could do was sigh, not wanting to say anything else. He was certain that it would only add more fuel to the fire. Instead, he approached the large banquet table, staring at a jar of Cherry Juice.

His gaze became lost momentarily when he suddenly felt someone pulling his sleeve.

…

"Professor Oak?"

The old man broke away from his memories and noticed the young girl, Leaf, pulling at his lab coat. She looked concerned, while his grandson was trying to fake disinterest, though his continual glances gave away his apparent worry. The third boy only continued to stare blankly, to no one's surprise.

"Oh, sorry Leaf," He said while patting her head.

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly, earning a kind smile from the aging professor.

"Yeah, I'm fine," He confirmed, sitting once more by the tree, and began again with a raised finger, "So as I stated before, having friends is important. Either with Pokemon or with people." And as he continued, the trio of children focused on him once more, "You may ask why," he glanced at his grandson, who looked away, "But really, it's quite simple. Friends will always be there for you, and will protect you no matter what happens. This world is not always a kind one, so having friends to support you will help you overcome any ordeal."

"But if you're strong, then friends aren't needed," Blue protested, hands inside his pockets. "Weaklings need the help, but I won't. I'll be the very best that no one ever was."

"Without true friends and partners, you won't. I assure you, boy," Professor Oak disputed sternly.

The girl stuck her tongue out to the young brunette, before turning to the older man, resting her hands on the ground, "Then what does it mean to be a pokemon trainer, as a whole?"

Professor Oak was about to respond when his eyes met the gaze of the only one of the trio that had yet to speak. His eyes betrayed no fear as they returned the gaze without any hesitation. Those same eyes he had seen in another person 11 years ago.

…

…

…

Professor Oak's gaze was met with the eyes of a man, a man whose life would come to an end soon. Fire spread all around him, the lively **CERULEAN CITY** was being engulfed by several explosions caused by an unknown originator, thus creating chaos and havoc.

The citizens fled away in a panic, the police evacuating everyone they could. The firefighters and their water-type pokemon couldn't hold the rising waves of fire, and despite the mayhem, Professor Oak couldn't move. He stood frozen, only continuing to stare at a man with a metal bar sticking from his blood-stained chest. He'd been hit when a piece of debris flew at high speed through the area, a result of a powerful blast that rocked the surrounding buildings.

The local doctor had tried to supply first aid, emergency treatment to the man despite the dire circumstances. Unfortunately, the rising chaos and the extremely delicate state of the wounded man wasn't allowing him to proceed as he would have wanted. The way he needed to, if he was to save the man's life.

"There's nothing we can do under these circumstances…" Informed the doctor bitterly, observing the mortal wound with a critical eye, "The metal impaling his chest is compromising multiple organs and yet, it is the only thing keeping him alive. The object is preventing any major internal hemorrhaging."

An elderly man pursed his lips before asking, "Then what can we do, doctor?"

"We would need to operate here without moving him, and slowly remove the metal bar out of his body to prevent further damage," The doctor elaborated with a grim expression, "Even then, I'm not certain we would be able to stop a massive blood loss if we succeeded in removing the object." His voice came out softly, "Not to mention the rising fire that will reach this area soon. I'm afraid we won't be able to save him if we don't transport him a medical institution."

"But can we really move him in that state?"

"It would be preferable to not do so, but we may not have any other choice. It's either we take our chances with that, or we let him…"

A pregnant woman knelt beside the mortally injured man. She let out a dreadful cry as she observed them in despair, clutching desperately at the man's hand.

"A-are you saying we should leave my husband to die here?" She questioned, her voice breaking. Professor Oak, who stood close by, couldn't tell if the cause was her obvious fear, or her growing anger.

Most likely both.

"We'd have to do it slowly, and very carefully, before the fire-"

The Poké Mart collapsing a block away from them drew their attention, the fire fighters backing away. A blue bipedal turtle blocked a falling wall with it's solid brown shell, saving several men and women. Professor Oak watched as the turtle-like pokemon then directed the canons located at the top of its shell towards another building, unleashing powerful water blasts to halt the advance of the wildfire to their position. Another Pokemon of the same species appeared to help moments later.

"The two Blastoise won't be able to hold much longer! Fall back!" A firefighter shouted desperately.

Professor Oak knelt by the woman's side, resting a hand on her shoulder, "Ursula, your child is at risk! You can't remain here!"

"I won't leave him!" Growled the woman, sobbing uncontrollably into her free hand.

Professor Oak was taken aback at her outburst. He had never imagined he'd witness his friend looking so fearful. Even so, **URSULA CINDER **had every right to protest, despite that their lives were at risk, he knew that much.

And as the pokemon professor opened his mouth to respond, the voice of the injured man was heard, earning their total attention. Even the doctor turned to him as the man raised a bloodied hand before his face. The sight was dreadful.

"It's… beautiful…"

None of them understood what he meant.

"Dear, d-don't speak," Begged Ursula, becoming even more horrorized upon seeing blood leaking from the man's mouth.

"It's beautiful…" The man repeated regardless, eyes locked on the blood painting his hand with crimson red, "Why is it I just noticed how beautiful this color is…?"

The doctor sighed, "He's suffering from hypovolemic shock, most likely due to the internal damage."

Professor Oak grit his teeth in overwhelming frustration as his friend for six years now, lay before him, on the verge of death, and he couldn't do anything to save him.

More fiery explosions rocked their surroundings as black vans started to move through the still useable streets of Cerulean City and towards the area where the sudden commotion started. Professor Oak could only wonder if this attack had to do with government matters, or if it was a terrorist organization's doing.

"Where's the Gym leader?" Asked a young woman, who was the secretary of the mayor in the city, if Samuel was recalling correctly.

A policewoman accompanied by a fire-type pokemon that resembled a dog, approached them as well, "Gym leader Salyna is helping in the northern part of the city. We must evacuate this area immediately until the backup arrives."

"But my husband can't move… if we leave him…"

Professor Oak blinked, seeing a strange form rising to the sky by the western part of the city, a purplish aura enveloping this unknown entity when a sudden, mighty pulse was released, the ground trembling, the trees being blown away, their roots pulled out violently. Men, women, children and pokemon alike were also away blown away violently in its wake.

The pokemon professor embraced the pregnant woman, just as both were thrown back by the blast, his back crashing against the remnants of the **BYKE SHOP**. The man lost his breath with the painful hit, his body aching, yet, his mind focused once more as he observed the woman cradled in his arms.

"Ursula! Hey! You alright?" He asked concernedly, shaking her, if only a bit.

After slowly opening her eyes, the woman finally nodded her head, "Y-yes, but…" Realization soon hit her, and with a horrified expression, she turned to the wounded man, now far from them. A pool of blood expanded beneath him, where he now lay on the ground. Despite the mortal wound, the man raised his head heavily, his gaze almost devoid of life.

Ursula tried to get to her feet, but her damaged ankle caused her to wince and nearly lose her footing. Professor Oak took hold of her arm just in time, preventing a fall. And despite her panicked state, she still tried to reach the dying man, wincing and screaming in despair.

"NO! We have to help hi-"

"Red…" A single word escaped the man's lips, cutting her short. A faint smile invaded his features despite the dire circumstances. It was an expression that was difficult to describe, and for them, difficult to see, "Isn't it beautiful, Ursula?"

"Samuel! We have to get him out of there!" Shouted the pregnant woman, gripping the neck of his shirt strongly, to a point that could suffocate him. Her desperation was by all means understandable, seeing the terrible fate that would befall on her husband, however, there was little they could do.

Pushing her hands away, he released a hitched breath and rubbed his sore neck. The woman blinked in realization, but he stopped her from speaking a pointless apology by pressing her shoulders firmly with both his hands, while stating with a commanding tone, "I will help him, but don't you dare move from here, do you hear me?"

Ursula slowly nodded her head, eyes glittering with the light created by the rising fire in the surroundings.

Professor Samuel Oak steeled his nerves and finally sprinted forward to save the woman's husband, also his own close friend. A firefighter followed after him to provide help as well.

It took him precious few seconds to reach his target, the pokemon professor kneeling by the mortally wounded man, his eyes trailing across the metal bar that protruded from his back. Samuel, and the firefighter that joined him, exchanged a grim look, realizing that moving him could cause further damage if done so carelessly. The previous blast had already worsened his state.

Both were stopped short before any words could be exchanged, a voice echoing, "Sammy…"

Samuel blinked at the nickname only used by the man that lay before him, at the brink of death.

"Don't talk!" He hissed, "We'll get you out of here, just stay quiet and don't move."

"Sammy, tell… tell my son that I loved him with all my heart…" He spoke weakly, and Samuel frowned, not liking where this was going. "Tell him… he will have to live for the both of us…"

"Shut up, you idiot," He growled angrily. "Your son isn't even born and you come up with that crap! You'll tell that to him yourself, you hear me?"

The dying man coughed, blood leaking from between his cracked lips as he actually smiled, an event that was rare to witness. Samuel could count the times he had seen his dear friend do so.

And before he could even blink, a large truck fell from the sky like a meteor, destructively crashing into a building nearby. Upon impact, the vehicle exploded, a fiery pulse of flames expanding and scorching everything in its surroundings, and within it, the dying man was engulfed.

The firefighter pulled Samuel back before both were violently blown away.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Blackness covered all, sight no longer useable, futile… yet the woman's dreadful lament echoed, digging into his very soul, as if he was being impaled by it, again and again, in a never-ending cycle of suffering and regret.

…

…

…

"_Death brings experience to those that witness it, it brings wisdom and reality."_

…

…

"_Legacy? It can only exist if the torch is carried highly, if the torch burns brightly for everyone to see it, if the torch's flame never ceases to burn intensely."_

…

…

…

"_Loneliness is not the key."_

…

…

…

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in **RED**: **Prologue** Section: **Picture 02**

* * *

He stared at the ground.

There was nothing he could have done…

"Gramps!"

The old man's stare had apparently remained fixed on his own tightened fist, knuckles almost white.

"P-professor Oak?"

"You're scaring me, gramps! What's wrong with you?"

The light finally returned to Professor Oak's lost gaze, eyes finally noticing the fear that enveloped the children gathered around him. The fist he had made without realizing was no more, though a tear threatened to fall down his cheek.

He was quick to wipe it before it trailed down, and grinned at his spectators, his aim was of course to calm them as he wasn't certain of what kind of expression they saw on him before. The old man cursed internally for having let his memories of the past get the best of him, and what was worse, in front of the children he cherished.

"I… I'm not sure myself… I suppose I was just recalling the past…"

His grandson cocked an eyebrow, "Wait, was that it?" Hands pocketed in his pants, the brunette added with a roll of his eyes, "Geez… way to scare me, gramps."

"Did you recall something sad, professor Oak?" Asked Leaf worriedly.

The old man patted her head softly, "I suppose I did, and that's actually a point I want to explain. Listen you three," Professor Oak spoke firmly, gazing at each one of them individually before continuing. "As I stated before, this world can be excessively harsh, most especially when you're unprepared to face it. Good planning, and actually thinking through every action makes a good pokemon trainer. Rushing into the unknown without further consideration can bring you terrible consequences," Resting a hand over his grandson's head, he added, "And if that fails, you can count on your friends to help you out, don't you think?"

He found himself grinning at the three, the children actually stunned by his warmth. Leaf glanced at Blue, who to her surprise, displayed an uncharacteristically thoughtful demeanor. It was as if he was actually reflecting about his grandfather's advice. Quite unexpected, honestly.

"I absolutely agree, professor!" Leaf giggled cheerfully, turning to the silent boy at her side, "Right?"

The boy looked at her from the corner of his eyes, and responded with a silent nod.

"Well, at least there's one thing I can accept from that. I'll always be prepared, being the very best demands that much!" Blue smirked, a hand trailing across his spiky brown-hair, "I'll never be caught off-guard, that's for sure."

"Which is the reason you three, along with the others need to study and practice before starting your journey. Knowledge can be your strongest weapon, Blue."

His grandson pursed his lips, averting his gaze, which actually meant that he had accepted his advice. Since Blue was prideful, a bit too much for his own good, this was his way of showing he agreed with his point. To be honest, these instances were in fact few… he could swear that he's just like his mother, inheriting her personality almost exactly.

Professor Oak rose to his feet, wiping the dust from his pants. The sun was about to set, the first winds of the approaching night already gracing his skin, a flying/normal type pokemon he recognized as a **PIDGEY**, flying in the distance, most likely by **ROUTE 1**.

Whatever the case, it was time for the children to head back home.

"Well, that would be all for today," He stated after clearing his throat. "You all have to attend the training academy early tomorrow. Be sure to be prepared and I'd suggest you turn in early."

"Wha!?" Blue gaped at him, "You still haven't told us what it really means to be a pokemon trainer, old geezer!" Frowning at the professor, he continued, "You said this, then that, but what the heck?"

Professor Oak smacked his head, stoically scrutinizing him, "Watch your tongue, Blue. Respect your elders like your mother taught you."

"Bah," The boy rubbed his head, wisely choosing not to retort. If he did, another smack would have come his way.

"Professor Oak," Leaf started, fists balled together, "So basically, all the things you mentioned makes a pokemon trainer? Then that's the answer?"

Professor Oak stared at her, and chuckled, "It's not the answer, yet you're correct, my little girl. I can't really explain it, not even after all these years. All I can really tell you, is that being a pokemon trainer goes beyond of actually training pokemon. Does that make sense?"

"Ehhh, a bit?" Leaf tilted her head, visibly perpexled.

Blue started walking away, all while saying out loud, "It's the age. He's simply forgetting things. Whatever."

Leaf, and the silent boy, who just stood on his feet, watched Professor Oak's grandson leave. The latter gave the old professor a nod of acknowledgement before doing just the same.

Professor Oak gazed at the girl staring at the back of the silent boy, "You should get going, too."

"Ah, y-yeah…" She waved a hand at him before running to her own home.

The old man was left alone then, silence surrounding him for a brief moment before the sounds of nature made themselves heard. He gazed up at the sky, the sun almost gone, a dark shade of blue quickly spreading across the horizon.

The lampposts began to function, emitting dim light that eventually got brighter, illuminating the backyard of his already shadowed lab, and also the streets around. The elderly man stood there, observing the closest source of light. He found that it reminded him of another life-changing event of the past.

…

…

…

His gaze adjusted despite the intense light coming from the ceiling.

"How is Ursula? How's the baby?"

Professor Oak blinked, removing his focus from the ceiling lights inside a waiting room as someone made the question everyone gathered within hoped to get an answer of, a tone of fear coating the voice. He couldn't determine how long he had remained in the waiting room after having left the pregnant woman in the care of the specialists. To say that he was anxious was an understatement, despite that he was a man that had seen and witnessed countless incredible things.

During the course of his life, Professor Oak had been addressed in many ways by the people he met, as both a trainer and scholar. He had experienced and learned much during his travels, becoming a man of vast knowledge, a man of culture, a man that would be able to guide future generations of pokemon trainers towards a better future.

A man whose main strength lay in his wisdom.

Ironically, despite carrying the title given only to the ultimate experts in pokemon, when it came to this subject in particular - like a woman in labor about to give birth - he was like a man walking blindly in the dark, fumbling around every dark corner.

Despite the fact that he had studied the birthing process of a human to prepare himself for this moment, the experienced man Samuel Oak was known as, faded in the very moment he noticed the woman's first contractions, leaving in place a man that was fearful of the future and, quite honestly, couldn't remember a damn thing.

Today was going to be a special one regardless, he knew that much for sure.

Just as he did, other close relatives, friends of the woman and residents of Pallet Town awaited to hear about both her and the baby's condition. With the endless wait finally coming to an end, Ursula's friends gathered around the doctor, impatiently trying to hear the news.

"Speak doctor! We're on the fence here!" Pressed a young woman, looking quite worried.

The doctor took some seconds to adjust to the situation he was in before displaying a smile to the group, "Both the baby and Ursula are fine!"

Those words were enough for the group to explode in cheers and shouts of celebration. Hugs were exchanged by almost everybody, the doctor and even a couple of nurses dragged to their celebration, however, the staff on the hospital was soon to remind them that making a ruckus wasn't allowed inside the building.

And with their outburst coming to an end, the Pokemon Professor focused on the matter at hand, which was actually seeing the woman, and if it was possible, the baby she had brought to life.

"Can we see her now?" He asked the woman, others joining in.

The physician looked at a door, thoughtful, "I'd suggest one person at a time since Ursula's a bit delicate at the moment." A smile appeared, eyes darting across the gathered people, "So, who will be first?"

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in **RED**: **Prologue** Section: **Song 04**

* * *

Silence came then, gazes flickering between everyone, before they finally came to rest on the man known for his discoveries regarding the relationship of pokemon with humans. Said man blinked, slightly baffled, and honestly not entirely agreeing with the fact that he should be the first person in line. After all, some of Ursula's relatives were also present, as well as those of her deceased husband.

However, Ursula's grandfather took a step forward, garnering everyone's attention.

"What are you waiting for? Go see her, Oak."

"I don't think I-" Professor Oak began.

And his words were interrupted before he could voice his concern, "Of course you should go first," said the elderly man with a smile, eyes closed, but only for a mere moment before they opened, a light of wisdom shining in them which Oak guessed could only be obtained by living almost 72 years. "You have been taking care of my daughter since that dreadful day, more than any of us. As a father, that's a really bad thing to say for myself, but the truth is the truth."

The pokemon professor scratched the back of his head, not knowing what to say, or how to react for that matter. He still thought it was the wrong call letting him be the first person to see Ursula and her baby, but the resolution of the older man before him wasn't going to let him voice his disagreement.

So he conceded, seeing he had no other choice.

And with one last glance at the group, professor Oak finally followed the doctor into Ursula's room.

The door, painted white as pretty much everything else in the hospital, was opened. Oak caught sight of a woman in a patient gown lying on a start white hospital bed. Between her arms, lay a tiny, yet endearing form. As he got closer, he came to notice the slight movements from tiny arms, tiny hands, tiny fingers. It was a baby, her baby… the son of Ursula and his long-gone friend.

"Sammy," She said, slightly surprised. A warm expression replaced her demeanour regardless, once he stood before her, "Thought my mother would crash the door to see me first."

He rubbed the back of his neck, agreeing with her, "She's a little overwhelmed, so she's resting a bit. Martha took some pills to calm her nerves and fell asleep. But don't worry, she'll have plenty of time to see her grandson… just as soon as she wakes up."

Ursula blinked, "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, her pressure was a bit high, but nothing to really worry about," Oak grinned. "She's a strong woman, just like her daughter, right?"

She chuckled, her eyes trailing to the little baby between her arms, "Right…"

Silence reigned, both observing the newborn until the doctor spoke, "I'm rather surprised, he barely cried." Both turned to the medical specialist, looking concerned about the comment, "I mean, he did during the transition of being exposed to the outside world after being born, but he hasn't done so much after that."

"I-is something wrong with him?" Ursula asked, exchanging a concerned glance with the pokemon expert.

The doctor shook his head, "Not at all. He has a good heart rate, good muscle tone and color. Usually babies would find themselves irritated to the new sensations after leaving uterine life, but he only cried a bit. Cases like this are unlikely to happen, but they do happen, so pay it no mind. Just enjoy the quietness," He finished with a soft chuckle.

Ursula released a sigh of relief, caressing her son's head, "Way to scare me, doctor…"

"Hmm… shouldn't newborns cry to expand the baby's lungs, and expel mucus and amniotic fluid?" Professor Oak asked, recalling something he read in a book during Ursula's hestancy.

"In fact, yes, but his first cry was enough for that to occur," Pocketing his hands on his coat, the doctor sighed, "Sorry if my comment worried you both, just thought it was something worth noting. As I said, the baby is healthy and there weren't any complications."

Both Ursula and Oak nodded and stared once more at the object of their affection, "So, did you think of a name for him?"

The woman made a humming sound, smiling warmly, "Indeed I have." The man blinked at that, but nodded his head, actually eager to hear it. "He will be called… Red…"

Professor Oak was actually surprised, "Like the color?"

"Yes… like the color…"

"Huh… Red…" The professor repeated, wondering what lead her to choose it. "Why though?"

Ursula pressed her lips, her eyes lost for a single second before her mouth moved, "Because he loved it… that color…"

Professor Oak was paralyzed in place, a flash of past memories hitting him in rapid succession as he had come to realise completely why had Ursula had chosen that name.

"Red… it's a beautiful color indeed…" Professor Oak muttered.

…

…

…

Professor Oak blinked twice, noticing the sun was gone, the night sky presiding over all of Pallet Town, now. Finally back to his senses, the elderly man checked his watch to see it was 12 minutes past six.

Deciding he still had time to work, Professor Oak made his way inside the lab.

* * *

He couldn't recall how many years it had been since he opened the one and only laboratory in Pallet Town, a small urban area located in western Kanto. The lab had an actual emotional value to the pokemon professor since it had become the place where his official research on pokemon started, where he studied their mysteries and behaviour in a natural environment, and ultimately, their relationship to humans.

He had managed to recreate many different environments within the lab grounds for the correct development of all types of pokemon, such as areas with grass, sand and rock, as well as lakes in order to promote a solid interaction between the different species. Thanks to the support and funding of certain enterprises, the lab became the largest of its kind in all the region, also capable of developing projects on a much larger scale than any other.

After circling the lab, and finally reaching the entrance to the laboratory, the elderly man he stood before the mustard-colored building of a peculiar design. Red tiles covered the roof, small and large windows alike positioned in every visible wall, with two small skylights over the left side of the tiled roof. Finally, a white porch covered the main entrance, a wall lamp illuminating the exterior.

This was the very place where his true goal had started.

Professor Oak smiled to himself as he headed inside, honestly tired despite the low physical effort he committed during the day. The toll that came with living more than fifty years was definitely showing now.

The automatic lights installed turned on in the very moment he set foot inside, a large corridor with many doors greeting him, which lead to different areas within the lab. He took the second door on the left, where his study room was located.

This was of course the place where he could simple relax, and obviously, the only room without automatic lights.

A large bookshelf covered the wall at his right, a sofa was positioned on the corner with a tall lamp at its side, and a desk with a comfy chair was situated at the left, where two windows let the light of the lampost outside illuminate the room.

The man walked across the room and reached the one in the back, which was a storage room where he kept an even larger collection of books. Turning on the lights, he looked around and began to sort the books scattered messily across the room, until he found a sketchbook of sorts.

The old man blinked, several memories popping up at the sight of it, yet he quickly shook his head and regained his senses. This was the sketchbook he had used during his first years as a graduated pokemon researcher while he traveled all around Kanto to observe and study the nature of Pokemon in their natural habitat.

He opened it to see several old pages with drawings and sketches, notes written beneath them. These were the observations he wrote at that time, about every pokemon he had observed. He had to admit his sketches were very on point. It was easy to recognize the drawings made by his younger self.

And as he skimmed its pages, a photograph fell from the book. He ducked to pick it up and walked back to the study room, sitting at his desk. After turning on the small lamp over the furniture, the pokemon professor carefully observed the sepia-colored photograph.

It showed a younger version of Agatha and him, taken just after he won the World League Championship. His trusty bovine-like pokemon, known as **TAUROS**, stood at his side proudly, while Agatha's favorite pokemon, the ghost type known as Haunter, floated at the side of its owner.

The photograph showed him sporting a smirk as he held the trophy that proved his victory over the strongest trainers in the world, and both him and his former close friend also sported the medal given by the Pokemon Association as recognition of their mastery in pokemon battles.

As expected, Agatha sported a curt expression, and the old man couldn't stop himself from smiling since he knew she had always tried to display her toughness despite her true emotions.

Leaving the photograph on the desk, he opened one of the drawers, picking up a pack of cigarettes from within, and some matches. With the cigarette lit, he relaxed over his comfy chair, smoking to his heart's content, musing a bit before redirecting his attention back to the picture.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in **RED**: **Prologue** Section: **Picture 03**

* * *

He blinked as he picked it up again, his focus directed at the face of his past self, or more exactly, at his eyes. Despite it being a mere picture of a past long gone, the sheer determination in the eyes of the young man could be felt by just looking at it. It honestly reminded him of a gaze he had seen once during his entire life.

And it made him reminiscence about a certain event 6 years ago.

…

…

"My son has been acting a little weird lately… I'm worried, Sammy…"

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in **RED**: **Prologue** Section: **Song 05**

* * *

Professor Samuel Oak folded his arms, certainly surprised by the sudden claim of his close friend, Ursula Cinder. He stared at her across the short table in the living room inside the Cinder Residence as he let his cup of tea rest over the table.

If he was to put it, Ursula's son rarely did anything rather than sleeping and playing with his toys, so the fact that her mother showed such trepidation could only mean that it was worth noting.

"How so?"

It was a simple question, but he feared a complicated response would be its answer.

"I'm not sure… I mean, maybe I'm just overthinking it…" Ursula looked to the side, where a corridor was located, "I'm probably a bit paranoid… yeah, that must be it. You know, with those wild pokemon attacking Viridian City out of nowhere. It must just have me on edge."

Oak cocked an eyebrow, "Ursula, stop beating around the bush, what is it? You know you can tell me anything."

And the woman gazed back at him seriously before dropping her shoulders, heaving a sigh, "Remember the time we were at the lab?" He nodded, recalling that happened two weeks ago, so she continued, "And how he found your old sketchbook?"

"Yeah, he was very interested in my old drawings, but… should that be a problem? My grandson tends to look at them, too, and I don't th-"

Yet he found himself interrupted suddenly, "The other day I found him searching in…" She stopped briefly, suddenly looking pained, "…_His_ belongings…"

The elderly was stunned momentarily, "Really…?"

"Yes…"

There had never been a mention of the boy's deceased father, not since the day Ursula's child was born, and he knew she had strived to keep that subject out of her mind. She didn't bring it up to prevent her son from suffering, even more so now that his mind was able to grasp information about the world around him.

But, if it came to this…

"So… had he asked anything about…?"

She shook her head, "No… at least not yet…"

Oak made a humming sound, thoughtful and certainly worried, "I see… but him knowing…" His voice faded at the sight of his female friend widening her eyes in utter shock. "Ursula? What is it!?"

And following her line of sight, he turned around, eyes widening as he stood up in surprise, his composure shaken, his throat becoming dry.

By the entrance of the living room stood a child, sporting a red hat with a particular white-colored design on the front that resembled a wide curve. He also wore a white shirt with a red border around the neck, the arms and the central design that looked like a 96, also colored red.

It should be noted that both pieces of clothing exceeded in size the little boy's body, and so, the hat was barely hanging onto his head, almost ready to fall to the side as it covered part of his face, while the shirt hung loosely over his tiny frame.

And above everything else, the clothing belonged to the child's deceased father, so the implications were more than troublesome, both adults had grimly realized.

"R-Red…" Whispered the woman, breathless.

Ursula's little boy, **RED CINDER**, showed no reaction at her call, however, the child folded his tiny arms, sporting an expression Professor Oak thought he would never see again. An expression that showed total resolution,

And before he could even open his mouth, the child spoke.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in **RED**: **Prologue** Section: **Picture 04**

* * *

"I will become a pokemon trainer."

Despite that Ursula's son had shown to be the silent kind and had rarely spoken, or even cried as a baby, the duo found themselves completely surprised when Red actually spoke with utmost determination.

The two adults exchanged glances of disbelief.

…

…

…

The creaking of a door slowly opening called Professor Oak's attention, snapping him out from his train of thought. He pulled the chair around to see one of the children from before standing quietly by the entrance of his study room.

It was Red, a boy he had known from birth.

The boy with light brown hair that wore blue jeans, matching shoes and a black sleeveless shirt walked inside, glancing around before stopping in the middle of the study room. The professor had wondered many times what made this boy behave like he did, barely speaking and emanating that serious aura he seemed to display at every moment.

But the answer had always been there, despite his attempts at ignoring it. The lack of a paternal figure was the most likely cause, and while many of Ursula's friends and family, and even he himself, had tried to fill that void in the Cinder family, it seemed the boy's lack of a father left repercussions in Red's growth as a person.

Whatever the case, it seemed he had something important to say.

"Red, aren't you cold? It's a tad late, boy," Red shook his head, "Trying to play tough guy, are we?"

A raised eyebrow was the response this time.

"I'd say that is Blue's influence on you, but I digress. Did you forget something, Red?"

The boy shook his head and approached the bookshelf, picking up a random book before turning to him with that usual blank gaze of his, which the professor had grown accustomed to over the years. Honestly, it made him nervous when the silent boy started pulling it.

"Professor," He finally spoke, earning his full attention. "I know what it means to be a pokemon trainer."

Such statement caused the old man to blink, slightly perplexed. As he had imagined, the boy had something on his mind, now he wouldn't deny he now felt intrigued about his answer. Oak had always strived to find the true meaning behind the title of pokemon trainer, throughout his whole life, and while he had managed to understand the answer, the words to explain it had, for some reason, eluded him.

The elderly man honestly thought the boy would probably present him an incomplete answer, just like Leaf and Blue had done. They simply lacked the experience to understand what the answer truly was. Either way, the professor was still interested in hearing his point of view. Maybe he would find, in Red's answer, the words to actually respond that difficult inquiry.

The professor smiled, "Oh. What is it then?"

Red gave some steps towards his desk as Professor Oak turned the chair to remain facing him. Standing by his side, the young boy placed the book on his grip over the desk, which the pokemon professor recognized immediately.

'**Pokemon: Growth and Survival**'

That was its title and below it showed with tiny letters: 'Written by Samuel Oak.'

One of the several books he had published across the years, this one focused on the growth of many types of pokemon in different ecosystems, and how these affected their survival and battle capabilities.

"What about this book?" The wise man asked in curiosity, failing to see where Red was going at, "Does it has something to do with your answer?"

And while he actually expected a response, the young boy looked around his desk before picking a notebook, yet this one was completely empty. Oak had bought it just yesterday to put some notes on it about his latest research, but he hadn't the chance to use it yet.

Red pointed a finger at it.

The old man cocked an eyebrow, and leant over the desk to examine it. It was simply a blank book, filled with blank pages, without so much as a title to give it a small amount of meaning.

So basically, it was empty. Bare.

The elderly man frowned, "Now you've lost me… this is a new notebook, Red."

And the boy stared at the item quietly before closing his eyes. It is then that his voice was heard once more in the silent room.

"Professor… what if someone laid a book down in the middle of a city, and the book had no name, no author, no content… then…" His gaze met the professor's, "…who would read it?"

There was silence.

"Mmm… I think no one would, what is there to read in an empty book?" He responded logically, however, for the face the boy displayed, it had not been the answer he was hoping to hear.

Red walked towards the closest window and stared at the lamppost outside, "Professor, why did you become a researcher?"

The man cleared his throat, "Well, I realized that was my goal in life, I enjoyed studying the nature of pokemon, I was intrigued by their existence, and I felt fulfilled whenever I made a discovery. Also… I wanted to help new trainers with this knowledge."

"…which is the reason you stopped being a pokemon trainer, right?" Red asked tentatively.

"Indeed, my boy, but I'm not saying I didn't enjoy my time as one," Oak sighed wearily, "I just realized it wasn't my vocation."

The boy raised an eyebrow in response, "Yet you managed to become the World Champion."

"That lead me to discover my true purpose," He countered easily, resting his back on the comfortable chair, "For me, it happened like that. When you grow up, you'll understand."

The boy stared at him for several seconds.

"Then let me ask again, professor. If someone leaves a book in the middle of a city, and the book has no name, no author, no lines to it… who will read it?"

Silence returned once more for several seconds.

The answer to this inquiry was simple, and he had already given it to him, but apparently, it wasn't a satisfactory response as Red had asked it again. The professor put a thoughtful hand under his chin, trying to understand what he was getting at.

However, the answer still eluded him, and so, he responded with logic once more.

"No one would read it. One can't read blank pages, Red. What does this have to do with your answer?" He couldn't help but become a little impatient, his voice rising slightly.

However, Red betrayed no emotion.

Professor Oak watched as Red's gaze fell to his slightly raised hand, "I… don't know who my father was…" He said quietly, and the older man tensed visibly, "I always wondered who he was."

The pokemon professor wasn't prepared to hear such a statement, and he realized Ursula had been right all these years. While the boy before him had never asked anything about his deceased father, it seemed that he had thought about him all along.

It wasn't that he hadn't noticed, but the elderly man was afraid, uncertain of what it could cause to Ursula's son if he was to speak about him.

However, there was one thing he could do now, which was to reassure him.

"He was a good man," He responded, the boy looking at him from the corner of his eyes, "He lived his life to the fullest, loved your mom and loved you, Red. Even if you didn't know him, he always said he loved you both with all his might."

Red closed his eyes, "But I didn't know him. How can I attest to that?"

"He…" Oak dropped his gaze, his voice so low that it could have been a whisper, "He told me that he truly loved you, Red." He fought the urge to let tears come out, "He told me that you would have to live for the both of you."

The young boy stared at nothing in particular, "I suppose I can believe that…" He turned to him, "Do _you _believe that?"

"Of course I do! Your father was a close friend! I knew him, and everyone who knew him would say the same. I'm certain that he meant it."

If there had been something Samuel Oak had been completely certain about, it was that.

"But I can't be certain… after all…" The boy began slowly, resting a hand on the empty book on the desk, "If someone leaves a book in the middle of a city with no name, with no author, with no lines… who will read it?"

"No one, Red!" Growled the professor, rising from the chair. "Why do you keep asking that! What's gotten into you!?"

And yet there was no reaction from the boy, hell, it seemed he had even expected his outburst. It probably was the fact that Red's deceased father was mentioned, but the elderly man felt agitated despite he made no physical effort whatsoever.

"Professor, when a book is laid on the ground, and it has no title, no author, no lines… then who's expected to read it?" He asked once more, his tone eerily serious.

Maybe the answer to this question had something to do with being a pokemon trainer, but how were these even related? I didn't make much sense to the experienced scholar.

Oak facepalmed, sitting again, "What kind of question is that, boy?" He muttered to himself. "I told you already. It's like if you're asking what is up, or what is down? The answer is simple."

"Up is as good as down needs it to be," The boy responded neutrally, his gaze sharp, "Those are only terms… after all, I could be an adult, and you a kid. But it still doesn't change the fact that I'm young and you're older. It's not all in the name, professor."

The current conversation surely was making Oak look like the infant in situation, in terms of dialogue anyway, and that was a new sensation… not one he welcomed though.

"Listen Red," Oak manage to calm himself before continuing, "Books are written, or filled with content for people to read. A book without a name, author or information has no purpose. It would be like making pokeballs in a world where pokemon doesn't exist."

"Then you wouldn't read an unmarked book?" Red asked, raising his head.

The pokemon professor shook his head, "I wouldn't. I can't read something that can't be read."

"Then why leave a book that has no title, no author or content whatsoever?" Red stepped to him, "How can someone trust something that can't be read? Something that is nameless? Something that can't be recalled because it has no name, author or information?"

"But a nameless book holds no relevance to anyone," Replied Oak with a stern expression, "There's no need for anyone to waste their time in it."

"But even if it's nameless, has no possession, no content… it still exists, right?" Red remarked, dropping his gaze. "So who will read it?"

Oak put a hand over the boy's shoulder, his grip firm to let the boy know that he meant what he was about to say, "Red, this isn't like you, Stop it."

"How can you know that, professor?" Argued Red, refusing to look at him, "How can you attest to that when I have done nothing for you to determine that you know me?" He sighed, and Oak knelt before him, "Professor, the truest pain comes when you fail to reveal who you are to someone else."

"Red…"

And suddenly, the quiet boy raised his head, a determined glint into them, startling the old man to the very core, "Do I make any sense?"

"I'm… not entirely sure…" Oak muttered, "What is your point?"

The boy closed his eyes, assuming a calm expression, "…You see professor, I can't just keep watching all of you restraining your thoughts and your actions because of the past."

The old professor realized where this was going.

This wasn't a matter that he should be addressing, and even if it concerned him, he was lost at what to do, what to say, what to feel. The only one sentiment he could identify was him feeling cornered, so he had to refuse.

"What are you talking about? We don't-"

"You all do, professor. It's hard to tell, but I know everyone keeps secrets to themselves, keep their feelings to themselves. But does that mean that they don't exist?" This time, Red put his hand over Oak's shoulder, "They do, even if their name, owner and significance are hidden, we know they do."

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in **RED**: **Prologue** Section: **Song 06**

* * *

It was now crystal clear to Oak. Ursula, her relatives, the pokemon professor himself had all been striving to keep their feelings inside, so Red would not suffer for how reality had treated him.

A son without a father.

Maybe the fact that everyone left a blank book for Red drove him to have the difficulty of not being able to express himself. Maybe in their attempt of not hurting the little boy with the truth, they had in fact damaged him with the lack of it.

None of them left a mark in the world for Red to follow, and while the Pokemon professor managed to do so for the future generations of pokemon trainers, Ursula's son was left in the dark.

The usually silent boy figured it all out by himself in the end.

Oak realized this could have been applied to his relationship with Agatha herself. Maybe if he had been more open about his feelings, maybe if Agatha had done the same, things wouldn't have ended in the way they did. The young boy had surprisingly revealed an undeniable truth.

Red nodded finally, picking the book from before, the one Oak had published, "This book has a name, has an author, has content to it. It will help new trainers because it can be read, because they know it's from Professor Oak," He extended it to the elderly man, "I think this might be the answer to that question, professor."

Silence came, and the wise professor still found himself awed at such logic.

"It is?" Oak started, however, his voice faded when the boy spoke again.

"Yes, professor. Being a pokemon trainer is everything Leaf, Blue and you mentioned, but also… it means to leave one's mark, whether you're remembered by the world, or by only one person," Red smiled, and Oak blinked at the unlikely sight. "After all, each person… each soul… is like a book… and when we lay our feelings, motivations and achievements out in the open, and we give them no name, we give them no author, and we've given them no description… then… who will actually read them…?"

* * *

**Prologue: END**

* * *

**I promise, this story will be fucking epic! Give me your thoughts should you have any regarding it. **

**See you soon.**

**\- Frank **


	2. Preparations

**Hello. I finally managed to crack up the next chapter of this story, considering how little time leaves real life for one that has to work, attend personal matters and such, as many of you. Getting older and becoming a corporate slave does sucks, eh?**

**I really pushed my limits in here, but what matter is that it's finally done?**

**I love to write about my fave characters and share it with you people, so that's all that matters in the end.**

**The songs recommends are in the story's profile, and since the images are new, they don't appear yet in the search list in google, so enter my Devian Art account to chem them out since this page becomes more hard to deal with as time goes on.**

**Also a shout out to "Ayekrusher0901" for the beta-work of this chapter.**

**In any case, enjoy.**

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**RED**

**Chapter 01: Preparations **

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There was a flash.

She couldn't see anything at all.

It was a flash of intense light.

Round eyes were closed momentarily by the sudden exposure, and eventually, they were opened, slowly, once they were allowed to do so.

The once fiery flash of light had decreased in intensity, allowing her eyes to make out bright golden pieces joining together like parts of a puzzle, to create a single form.

A form that didn't make any sense… to her at least.

She failed to identify what was before her despite the unknown form floating before her very eyes.

What she could tell - whatever it was - was that large, 8 meters tall give or take.

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Go to profile, **LISTEN**: Link in **RED**: **Chapter 01** Section: **Song 01**

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The strange lightform suddenly spread its - what appeared to her- limbs from which wings expanded, a long tail with a row of spikes along the top flailing wildly. She watched in awe as its head turned towards her direction without further warning, displaying several spikes and a pair of small wings as if resembling an eight-pointed star, and its armored face showed heterochromic eyes, blue and red.

Even at the considerable distance between her and the being, she could feel the intense heat its body emanated, almost burning her skin.

Its crystalline body, which seemed to be arranged as some sort of skeleton, released another bright, golden glow, shrouding everything in sight. The being released a loud growl reverberating menacingly in a sign of impending doom.

She had to kneel, her eyes shutting close, body seized in fear as she covered her ears for a moment in a desperate attempt to prevent retinal damage and hearing loss.

Her lips pressed against one another tightly as seemingly endless seconds passed. Sensing no pain, she finally and slowly opened her eyes, only for them to be widened in utter shock, her legs shook uncontrollably.

Whatever that thing was, it looked ready to attack at any second.

And yet, she couldn't react, or even scream for that matter. **Leaf **grimly found out she couldn't do anything at all.

The sight of such an imposing creature made her body paralyze in place, a wave of fear aggressively seized her muscles, forcing them into a rigid-like state. Cold sweat began to cascade down her forehead as she prepared for the worst, her mind desperately calling for help, calling for that boy she cherished.

Her inner pleas were interrupted though.

"This isn't good! We won't be able to stop it in that form!"

The voice managed to break her free from her apparent paralysis, and made Leaf gaze at her left, surprised and just noticing there were some people congregated at her side, none of them which she could recognize.

There were two girls, one was a blond who wore a white sailor shirt and a skirt of the same color, her vivid green eyes showing such clear fear and tension that it was quite unsettling.

The other girl had black hair tied in two braids resting over her shoulders; her clothing was composed of a straw hat over her head with a flower adorning it, and an orange shoulderless top and white shorts. Unlike the other, she seemed to be more composed, not allowing the dire circumstances to get the best of her.

However, the voice from before had been masculine, obviously not fitting the girls' profiles.

Her nervous gaze focused, brown orbs narrowing slightly as she finally noted the form of a black-haired boy, who stood protectively before the two. He sported white long shorts with blue lines on the bottom, a turquoise tank top, a red bucket hat with a black pokeball design on it.

Leaf couldn't tell who they were at all…

"Selene, take Lillie to safety and contact the authorities!" Yelled the boy fiercely, his fingers already trailing over his belt of pokeballs, as if getting ready for a coming battle, "We'll hold it back, but you guys need to tell them to evacuate Ultra Megalopolis as fast as possible!"

The blonde addressed as **LILLIE**, however, didn't seem to agree as she struggled to move towards the fearsome being despite the danger its presence alone exuded. The other girl did her best to restrain her, holding her firmly by her arms, "No! I won't leave Lunala!"

The Kantonian girl had no idea of what they were talking about, her thoughts crashing furiously against one another, in hope of understanding what was going on, to no avail. Hopelessly, all she could do was watch the scene in silence, letting it unfold.

"Lillie, calm down!" The girl with the straw hat staggered, barely holding the blonde, when suddenly she turned to her, their eyes meeting, "Leaf, give me a hand, would you? We can't just—"

Leaf blinked, surprised at the call of her name as she completely regained control over her body, confused eyes falling to her hands. Realization hit her as she noticed they seemed bigger, and right then and there she realized something else. There was not only a difference in her height, considering the obvious implications, but also, her chest, it was different…

'_M-My chest is bigger! Yes! Oh, wait… What's going on!?'_

Leaf couldn't resist the urge and touched them, noting they were indeed larger than she could remember, her hands then trailing to her face, to her legs. It is then when realization suddenly dawned on her.

'_Am I… bigger…? Is this a dream or what?'_

Every part of her body was bigger in every sense of the word, news she was already welcoming.

"What are you doing, Leaf!? This isn't the moment to be touching yourself, you know!" Yelled the girl, apparently called **SELENE**.

And before Leaf could even open her mouth, purplish colors covered their surroundings, the small group gazing around in confusion as they found themselves inside of some sort of force field.

However, surprise would only invade her facial features once her eyes caught sight of someone else standing nearby, outside the barrier. It was a man, one that looked strangely familiar, a man who wore a white t-shirt, blue jeans and an awfully familiar hat.

Her throat became dry, confusion clouding her mind completely as she came to realize why that man was so familiar to her. He just looked like someone very special to her.

'_Eh? Isn't that… wait! Is that actually… Red!?'_

To her complete shock, the man, who by sight alone could be recognized as an older version of the boy she had known since little, stood between the large, bright being and the rest of them, as if to shield them from the overwhelming presence.

And he was not alone.

There were three pokemon, two of them were immediately recognized from the guide provided at school. One was the Mouse pokemon, a chubby electric type rodent known as **PIKACHU**, who stood on the man's wide shoulder, while a winged, draconian bipedal pokemon of orange color stood tall and eager to fight at his side, who she could remember was a **CHARIZARD**.

Finally, another tall pokemon stood at the man's side, one she didn't recognize in the slightest. It was bipedal with a humanoid appearance, as well as notable feline features to it. Its skin was gray, and its tail purple; an odd bio-tube connected the back of its blunt-horned head with its spine.

She couldn't tell why she was seeing any of this, but she decided that it had to be a dream.

A weird one at that. It all seemed too real…

The man grabbed the edge of his cap's visor before speaking, "…Mewtwo will teleport you all back, I'll deal with it alone."

"Don't give me that crap, Red!" The boy yelled aggravatedly, running and punching the insides of the purple barrier surrounding them, waves of energy spreading with each hit, "That thing absorbed Lillie's pokemon, so there's no way I'm going back until we get Lunala back!"

'_It is Red then! What the…!?' _Leaf's mind tried to find a reasonable explanation to what her very eyes were witnessing, yet it was all futile, her train of thought was rapidly becoming a mess.

"Elio…" The green-eyed girl whispered sorrowfully, pressing a hand on her chest.

However, the man confirmed as Red only stared at them back stoically, a gaze Leaf had seen many times, but in the little boy she knew. This was just too much for her to absorb.

"…I'll bring Lunala back, I promise," The brown-haired man stated with utmost determination, "…But I won't risk any of you."

"Damn it, Red!" Cursed Elio bitterly, and Leaf bit her lower lip, already dreading the implications of such a statement.

To her shock, the fierce-looking man looked at her from the corner of his eye, his sharp features causing her legs to tremble in fear and something else she couldn't put her finger on, "…Leaf, take care of them."

Suddenly, the unknown tall pokemon named by Red as **MEWTWO**, raised one of its hands, showing three digits with spherical tips at their end. Soon, a tremor shook their surroundings, followed by the force field shining intensely, dragging even the ground beneath her feet upward to the dark sky.

Leaf stumbled slightly, watching the platform in which they stood floating away from Red, his pokemon and the large bright being. She felt her heart sting in pain and desperation, hating his intentions.

She knew it was just a dream, but that person was Red, an adult version of him, but still Red regardless. The mere thought of leaving him alone to face such a dangerous threat was heartbreaking, yet her voice just wouldn't come out.

Everything was happening so fast that she couldn't catch up.

And the last thing she saw, much to her horror, was Red returning his attention to the large being, a new massive wave of light being expelled, flooding the entire area, he and his pokemon engulfed by it.

…

…

…

"RED!? NOOOOO!"

**LEAF GREEN** yelled in despair, her lungs hurting slightly, only to stop immediately once her eyes adjusts to a different sight from the one before. The fiery light, the force field, the others who she doesn't know, are all gone.

She carefully observed her hands, then her body… disappointment already invading her face. Unfortunately, it was the same as before…close to flat…it seems that it was a dream after all.

The light auburn-haired girl blinks several times, gaze darting from side to side. She wipes some tears ready to fall down from her eyes as she takes on her surroundings.

She easily recognizes her whereabouts as the rooftop of her home in Pallet Town, coming to see the laundry hanging from the ropes across the space before her, however, something floating between her mother's undergarments calls her attention.

It's a small form, whose big eyes observe her in curiosity. Leaf tilted her head and stands from the comfy resting couch, slowly approaching it, curiosity winning over the fact that it may be dangerous. The creature hides behind the hanging clothes upon noticing her proximity, but she's quick to stop in her tracks, instead waving her hands nervously.

It seems to be a pokemon, one she has never seen before.

"D-don't be scared! I'm not going to hurt you!" She sputters, wide eyes studying the pokemon carefully, expectation building up as she waits patiently. Eventually, the green form finally shows itself to her, as she has hoped.

'_I know I spoke to it, but I didn't expect that to work… did it actually understand me? Maybe it belongs to someone else?' _

Leaf closely observes the small creature. It has round toeless feet, three-fingered hands, and clear wings on its back, with a round head that comes to a curved point, large baby-blue eyes with thick black rings around them, and a pair of green antennae with blue tips.

Just like in the dream she just had, or nightmare if she's to put it, this was certainly another pokemon she had never seen in her entire life. With that line of thought in consideration, then this meant that she was experiencing another dream?

The girl shakes her head to remove such wasteful thoughts, instead deciding to focus on the matter at hand.

What was before her is by all means a pokemon, however - as to what kind - she didn't have the faintest idea. This tiny being is definitely not within the descriptions of Kanto's wildlife list provided at school, so maybe it's a pokemon migrating from another region which she hasn't seen.

Though, she certainly can tell it's not from the **Sinnoh **region either, as she had studied its wildlife list before coming to Kanto. Maybe it is from either **Johto **or—

Leaf blinks as it emits a cry, a very cute sound if she's to describe it, which matched it's equally cute appearance. She already wants it for herself as it suits her preference in pokemon, adorable and of green color. Her heart starts to beat fast at the thought of getting it as her first pokémon… that is if it doesn't belong to anybody already…

Too bad she had no pokeballs to use since none were given to her at school yet. Such was the life of freshmen starting their instruction at the **Pokemon Academy**, the very first one in Pallet Town founded by none other than Professor Oak himself.

She can swear that Pallet Town's fast development into an urban area became possible due to the doings of such an influential man, putting the former little town on the map. The laboratory he apparently settled many years ago had started its growth.

"_So much had changed in Pallet Town since that wise old man came over!_" That's what Leaf's father comments everyday during his stories during dinner, which had inevitably come to become insufferably repetitive.

However, neither Leaf nor her mother had the heart to voice their lack of interest in them. Only when he spoke of his adventures as a **Pokemon Ranger** did she pay him real attention. She was honestly proud of her father, who strived to help and protect people and pokemon alike alon-

"Biii?"

Leaf blinks, her train of thought interrupted by a sound she has heard some moments ago, but so close this time she can't help but stumble back in surprise, yelping as she falls on her butt.

"Ouch…" She whines and raises her head, having noticed the unknown pokemon floating just before her face. She rubs her sore area, a short grin emerging unconsciously, "A-aren't you a bold one now?"

"Biii!" The pokemon makes another sound, now seeming to be less wary of her, much to her pleasure.

She sighs in relief at the pokémon's sign of trust, aware that other wild pokemon would have reacted aggressively, even at the minor sign of provocation. Maybe it does belong to someone else… yet the thought is dismissed quickly for her self interest.

She seriously wants it for herself so badly.

Bad memories however invade her mind for a few seconds, her brows ticking as she recalls one of her bad experiences with them.

Accidentally encountering a Rattata nest when she wandered out of town during her first year in Pallet Town, resulting in her almost getting a leg broken after one of the purple rodents bit her hard wasn't a memory she cherished at all.

Leaf shakes those unpleasant memories from the back of her mind and decides to fully focus on the green cute pokemon before her, a tiny smile slowly etches on her face as she rises to her feet.

By appearance alone, she would dare say this pokemon was either a 'grass' or 'bug' type, and since it had wings, maybe even 'flying' as its secondary class, although if it turned out it being a bug, whose most of them had wings…

'_No! It's too cute to be a bug! But what does that say about a Butterfree…?'_

She shakes her head, her brunette locks dancing with the motion. The last thing she wants is to get distracted when there are more pressing concerns, "Are you alone?" She asks, pulling up the sweetest tone she can muster, which earns her another cute cry from it. "Aw! You're so cute! I wish I had a pokeball now… or a styler…"

"Dear?" Leaf blinks at her mother's voice coming from the slightly opened door that led inside, apparently from the second floor considering that her voice was heard as merely a distant echo, "Can you set up the table? We have guests!"

Leaf spins around and shouts, "Coming, mom! I'll be down in a sec!"

And as she returns her attention to the cute pokemon, blinking eyes watch it already flying away, twirling around gracefully in the blue sky. She runs to the edge, extending a hand, "Wait! Don't go! Let me be your friend!" She calls out loudly, but it was to no avail. Her raised limb falls slowly as the pokémon disappears from her sight, disappointment already spreading across her features, "Don't go…"

The young girl stares at the distance for several seconds, hoping that cute green form would come back, but seconds become minutes, her hopes slowly but surely fading.

She had to accept it wasn't coming back.

Leaf drops onto the floor, shoulders down and back leant to the low wall behind her, sat with a deep frown forming at the thought of such a fine-looking pokemon having escaped her grasp, one that could possible be extremely rare since she hadn't seen it in the Kanto pokemon chart. Maybe it was from the **ORANGE ARCHIPELAGO**'s core, the **SEVII ISLANDS**?

"We're waiting, dear!" Echoes the voice of her mother once more, which brings her back to her senses, and to her feet. Leaf hopes she isn't mad, and heads inside hurriedly, also deciding to not let her disappointment get the best of her. By all means she would ask Professor Oak about it later on. That aside, the fact that she encountered such a pokemon is just the tale she'd like to share with someone in particular.

Although she knows she won't get any reaction from him… maybe he'll find it interesting… She can only hope.

Soft steps over the carpeted soon came to a stop, Leaf stumbled slightly to the side as an unpleasant, sudden dizziness overcomes her senses, a faint but still bothersome pain lashing against her head with continuous pounds, her vision blurring slightly.

Leaf grunts, a hand resting on the wall for support while the other gripped her aching head, when suddenly, her affliction faded as fast as it came. She breathed with difficulty for a moment before raising her head, teary eyes wide open as a new sensation invades her mind.

All around her, she could sense many things around her, the presence of something she couldn't understand, but she somehow knows they are there, so clear on the floor below, around her but in the distance as small points of reference.

'_Holy Arceus… what's happening to me…'_

Closing her eyes, Leaf tried to relax from the surge of panic threatening to take over her, focusing on ignoring every presence around her. The strange presence fade eventually, but she still spent a whole minute trying to regain her bearings, breathing slowly and steadily until-

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Leaf raises her head along one last mouthful of deep breath, her weak gaze meeting a concerned one. Before her was Blue Oak, her neighbour and the youngest member of the Oak family, who is as usual in his blue pants and purple sweater, a pendant hung from his neck, which she could recall as a gift from his older sister.

Leaf rested a hand on her chest, finally relaxing, if only a bit, "I dunno, it was this sudden dizziness… haven't had dinner yet, so that must be it. No big deal."

The brunette cocks an eyebrow in a sign of suspicion, a narrowed gaze furthering that line of thought, but Leaf isn't really bothered since he's always been distrustful of her, even under these circumstances.

"If you say so," Blue says with a shrug, pointing with a thumb behind him, "Your mom's getting kinda pissed down there."

Leaf nods her head, "Sorry… and… hey."

"Hey," He looked at her over his shoulder, "You sure you're alright there?"

"Y-yes… I'll be down in a sec," And as he starts walking away, she adds, "Please don't tell anyone of this. I don't want to worry them."

Blue stopped in his tracks and shrugged his shoulders, "Whatever you say."

His steps echo as he leaves, and Leaf decides to get over her stupor and follow suit, wiping her eyes and finally going down the stairs to the first floor. Once inside the dining room, she's greeted by her sulking mother, **DIANA **and a sweat-dropping Professor Oak.

**DAISY**, sister of Blue, only smiles at her, sitting on the largest couch in the living room with her brother at her side. Their parents, **RONNY **and **ALISON**, observe her in interest, which is something Leaf isn't prepared for.

'_All the Oaks are here!'_

"Leaf, it's rude to keep our guests waiting," Admonishes her mother, arms folded and brows furrowed. "I remember I told you that the Oaks would be having dinner with us."

And she completely forgot, but saying so isn't much of an option. The last thing Leaf wants is to embarrass herself in front of so many people, much more when Blue's present. She just wouldn't hear the end of it.

Leaf lets out a nervous giggle, "Sorry mom… it slipped from my mind." She turns to the older girl, with stylish clothes and twin tails, "Hey Daisy, it's good to see you!"

Daisy grins at her, "Same! It's been a while."

"Yeah," Then she turns to Blue and Daisy's parents, "Miss Oak, Mister Oak, thank you for coming."

"Of course, dear," Responds Alison with a playful wink. "Why wouldn't we?"

That isn't exactly the reaction Leaf expects from the woman, mother of two children, even if she's just 34, but in the time Leaf's known the Oaks, she's come to notice her peculiar behavior. Honestly, she doesn't like her that much, but that maybe be attributed to another reason…

"Heh, the Oaks had always been known for their hospitality towards others," Ronny comments with a smirk, a hand resting over his wife's shoulder, "It's only natural that we'd come even if you're foreigners."

Leaf stares at him, disliking what that implied, but ultimately decides to not let it bother her as she forces a smile to not seem disrespectful. She can guess alright from who Blue got his 'pleasant' personality.

"Y-yeah…" She says before moving to prepare the table, and as she starts arranging the cutlery, someone putting some glass cups makes her blink. It's Blue, who as before, continues to sport boredom, deliberately ignoring the tiny smile that pops up in her face.

"You sure… you're okay?" He whispers, so the other can't hear, rubbing his neck once he's done helping her, "Don't think dizziness would cause watery eyes."

'_So he did notice, huh?'_

"I dunno," She whispers back, spying on the others. "Tell you later, ok?"

Blue stares with a raised brow, but nods slowly, "Fair enough."

She grins at him, but she's flawlessly ignored as he heads back to flop down on the couch. Leaf rolls her eyes and notices someone missing in the reunion, namely, her father.

"Mom? Isn't dad home yet?"

The woman, who is already serving the dishes with berry lasagna, glances at her as Leaf approaches, "He should be arriving any time soon. He called to say that he just finished his report for the Ranger Union."

Inner warmth and admiration invades Leaf's chest for a moment, recalling how diligent and dedicated her father is to his duties as a top **S-Ranger**. It was certainly a strike of luck that the Ranger Union allowed him to establish a Ranger Post in Pallet Town when he was tasked to travel to Kanto.

Honestly speaking, using Pallet Labs as an excuse to warrant a post was mainly the reason why her father, **Dom**, managed to get the permission. Of course, Professor Oak, who had known him for two years now, had used his influences to facilitate it.

It should be mentioned the elderly man denies his participation in the matter however.

Leaf finishes putting the food and drinks on the table along with Daisy when the creaking of a door gathers everyone's attention. A tall muscular man with brown short hair and bear walks inside, sporting the Almece ranger uniform composed of black pants, a black t-shirt under a short red vest and boots that matched the outfit.

Leaf has always loved the uniform that rangers from the **ALMIA **region used. The colors, the details, the design overall… She simply loves it and hopes that one day she'd be able to wear one even if her main goals don't include becoming an actual pokémon ranger.

Her father kissed her mother's cheek before greeting the guests, joking with Professor Oak and Daisy for a good amount of amusement. Everyone gathers at the table soon enough and Leaf simply enjoys the lively dinner, noting how silent the usually talkative Blue is.

She can't help but worry that it may have to do with what he witnessed some moments ago, and while he's usually a jerk, especially with her, she knows well that he cares for her… not that it seems likely with all the arguments that tend to rise between the two.

Chatter continues, laughing erupting from time to time as her father continues to make jokes about his experiences during his patrols, while Blue's father and the professor comment about them, adding their own jokes. Watching them is amusing, Leaf can give them that.

The women though, are in their own world speaking about their own subjects of interest, such as the latest news and trends, Daisy also commenting that her job as **Pokémon** **Groomer** is really paying off in Celadon City. Apparently, many **Coordinators **often seek the services of groomers to make their pokémon happy and relaxed, so they can participate in **Pokémon Contests** with the best disposition.

Eventually, dinner comes to an end, and Daisy offers to help Diana wash the dishes as Leaf and Blue go outside.

The sun is long gone and stars dot the night sky, chilling winds coming by at sporadic turns as the two make their way to the park located just a block away from her house, both strolling across the silent and dark streets without uttering a word.

Leaf sits on a bench once they arrive, her long hair being swayed gently by a cold breeze. She draws her jacket tighter around her, suppressing the need to shiver as she spies on the brunette, who seems unaffected by the cold weather.

"So… what is it?" He asks out of the blue, still looking at the night sky.

Leaf considers her response for a moment and rises her legs over the bench, hugging them to get more warmth. If she's to be honest, she's actually scared of what overcame her some hours ago, and while she hadn't considered it at the time, she wonders if that unpleasant experience has anything to do with that cute pokémon she met.

Not only that but that dream she had…

"You know… that kind of thing never happened to me before…" She says, her voice coming out like a muffled complaint of sorts. "I've been sick before, but I dunno… I don't think that dizziness from before was… normal…"

Blue raised an eyebrow, putting a hand under his chin as he looked at her curiously. "Define… normal."

Leaf sighs wearily, failing to think of a good way to explain herself. She didn't eat anything that could have caused an illness since her family's diet was based on merely vegetables, dairy products and berries. In Almia, where eating pokémon was strictly forbidden, people simply learned to not do so, and Leaf honestly appreciated she had grown in a region that had so much consideration for pokémon. She was certainly as healthy as she could be, then why would she…?

"I mean, that dizziness didn't feel like… err… as if I ate something bad, you know?" She muses a bit before continuing, "I think it was something that had to do with my head… I guess… it did hurt a bit when it started."

Blue purses his lips, reflecting her answer for a moment, "Mmm… Is there anything else?"

Leaf blinks at the inquiry, slightly puzzled, "Anything else?"

"You're fine now, right?"

She nods her head, "Yeah… whatever was that, it only happened for a moment."

"So, anything else?" He folds his arms, flaxen eyes directed at her, conveying that sense of suspicion that was usual on them. It irritated her in all honesty… it's like he always knows when she's hiding something.

Professor Oak is just the same now that she thinks about it. It must be a trait passed down the Oak family tree, she concludes. Although, neither his parents nor his sister have it…

Worst is, he's in fact correct. The next symptoms are what worries her the most, and she's a bit reluctant to share them. She trusts him despite their differences, but she isn't even sure if he can be of help. Maybe she should just talk with the professor in case…

Leaf blinks, noting the firm expression the boy beside her sported. She frowns to herself, realizing that he's truly concerned about her, and she's just being stupid.

She buries her face between her knees, "It's hard to explain…"

Blue lets out a grunt of impatience, "How am I supposed to understand if you don't say it?" He pockets his hands and with grumpy steps, walks to the bench, taking a seat at her side. "C'mon, say it already!"

Leaf bites her lower lip, still uncertain, "Geez… aren't you pushy?"

"Well, we came all the way here to talk about it, right?"

An old woman passes by the western side of the park, the canine fire-type pokémon **GROWLITHE** walking at her side. Four eyes observe them go away for a few seconds as uncomfortable silence begins to creep on her.

"Alright, alright…" She glares at him, and he's obviously taken aback, which is enough for her to continue. "But if you make fun of me, I swear I'll crush you like a Golem."

Blue scratches the back of his head, "Yeah, yeah."

Leaf stares at nothing in particular as she tries to recall those weird sensations, "After the dizziness and my headache faded, I felt something weird around me."

Blue stares at her, "Like what? And what do you mean by felt?"

"I don't know… I could sense things around me, couldn't tell what exactly, but I clearly could tell they were there, whatever those things were," She elaborates, and for the frown Blue is already displaying, she can tell that she's most likely not making any sense.

"Did those things make you feel bad?" He asks tentatively.

"Not really… but it was strange…"

Blue folds his arms, "How so? Can you feel those things now?"

Leaf shakes her head, "No…"

"So it was something temporary?" He made a humming sound, his serious face suggesting he was reflecting about it. "I wonder what could that be…"

Leaf had to hide her surprise as Blue seems to be genuinely interested, even taking the matter seriously. She has to note how not a jackass Blue is when there's nobody else around to whom he can brag to. If only he was like this always…

"I don't know Blue, but I think we should—"

"Wait a minute!" His face displayed shock, eyes wide open in sudden realization, mouth dropping slightly. "You said you felt things around you, right?"

"Y-Yeah, but—"

"Where exactly?" He cuts her off, clearly excited at the prospect of something Leaf has yet to understand.

She frowns a bit, but shrugs it off to think about it, her mind trying to recollect what she felt exactly, which for some reason is sort of hazy. Leaf focuses, her eyes closed tightly as the sensation she means to remember invades her senses once more.

She jolts up from the bench, a panicking gaze darting around as those presenses have returned, one so close to her that… Leaf blinks twice and steps back, realizing that strange presence comes from Blue, who only smirks as if knowing something she doesn't. It irritates her to no end even if it shouldn't do so.

"What the…"

"Leaf, you're a psychic!" Blue states as he rests a hand on her shoulder, that annoying smirk still on his face, which is of course ignored upon the absurd revelation.

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Go to profile, **SEE**: Link in **RED**: **Chapter 01** Section: **Picture 01**

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She looks away in discomfort, "Y-you're joking, right?"

"Nope, you're definitely a psychic," He responds with a confident smirk.

Leaf bit her lip, "I-I don't think that's it… there must be another explanation…"

"Nah. What you're basically sensing is other people's minds," Blue elaborates, pointing an index at his head. "Since you focused on recalling those sensations, it makes sense that you'd activate your psychic powers again trying to do it."

Leaf is too confused to absorb it and decides to sit back, trying to ignore the strange sensations clouding her mind. She looks at her neighbour in worry, still refusing to accept what he just claimed.

"Why would I have psychic powers out of nowhere?" She inquires, looking away in discomfort, "It doesn't make any sense…"

Blue waves his hand in a dismissive manner, "It does actually."

"No it doesn't," She retorts with a growl. "How can you be so sure anyway?"

"There's a psychic working in Gramp's lab, remember?" Blue pointed out with a grin, "I talked to him long enough to know how psychics learn of their abilities. As the future best trainer in the world, I had to know how they think and see stuff since I'll be battling many of them," He scratches the back of his head, "It's a bit messed up, you know? Their view on the world, I mean, but I guess that's their problem."

Leaf's next response never came as she herself thinks he may be right, but there's still many unknowns in the matter for her to accept that conclusion. However, if that's not the case, how can she explain what she's currently feeling now?

"Even so, it could be anything else," She mutters, still skeptical, or maybe she isn't at all.

She honestly doesn't want that explanation to be true as it would change that one special friendship she holds dear to her heart. Leaf knows well she's acting irrationally, but she just can't accept it… not until it's proven with all certainty.

Blue rubbed his temple, clearly getting annoyed by her 'senseless' refusal, "It could, but it isn't the case. You can clearly sense my mind since you've apparently unlocked your powers."

Leaf's features sharpen, "Unlocked them?"

"Yeah… there must have been a catalyst for it to occur," Blue elaborated, folding his arms in exasperation, his foot tapping against the ground continuously, "Did anything relevant happen recently?"

Relevant of course are only the two events that had occurred before that strange sensation filled her senses, and Leaf once more feels unwilling to reveal them since they would only cement Blue's statement.

She's terribly afraid of it being true.

Leaf drops her shoulders in resignation, her thoughts circling around the fact that everything in her life would change should it be true. However, as much as she doesn't want to, she already has dragged Blue into this problem, so the least she can do is to be honest.

She breathed deeply, forcing her will to the task.

"I… had a weird dream…" She begins slowly, choosing carefully her words, "I mean, didn't seem like a dream at all… it felt too real…"

"Dreams are supposed to be like that, you know?" Blue points out with a deadpan. "Some of them at least. What was it about?"

Leaf's gaze shifts towards a man with a small creature that resembles a blue plant bulb, with small feet and a rather cute face. Large leaves protruded from its head, bouncing from side to side as it moved along with its owner. Too bad the cute **ODDISH **became unpleasant with its evolution, or else she'd have it written in her must-have list.

"Leaf, what was it about?" A growl makes her turn to Blue, who's clearly annoyed now.

"Oh, right… hehe, oopsies…" She sticks out her tongue playfully, "So yeah, the dream! It's about…"

And so Leaf explains with every detail she can remember what she saw during the dream, although the name of that unknown pokémon with feline traits eludes her memory. Blue at first looks amused, and she could guess he found it simply weird, but when she mentioned a grown up Red with three pokémon, one of which was unknown to her, his countenance visibly sharpened.

Then came her narration about meeting that unknown pokémon some moments ago, which certainly doesn't make things better for her case. Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned it…

The youngest Oak seems thoughtful, eyes lost within the deepness of his musings. Leaf watches silently as he's clearly working the gears of his brain to come up with an explanation.

"There's no doubt that dream's some sort of vision," He states almost confidenty. "…of the future I mean. Maybe you just saw it, Leaf."

That's exactly what she expected him to say, and Leaf knows well he isn't stopping there.

"And that pokémon… we can't be sure but maybe you saw a Celebi?" He states and Leaf's still confused. He looks at her in disbelief, "Seriously? You're from Almia and you don't know about Celebi?"

The girl can't help but curse inside her mind at her lack of knowledge, since those from the northern regions to Kanto, and the region of Johto itself worship that mythical pokémon, whatever it looks like. An almese unaware of **CELEBI **can definitely be seen as silly, if not outright preposterous.

"Ha-haven't had the chance to study… eh… Johto's! That's right! Johto's wildlife list!" She responded nervously, her gaze deviating from his in shame. "I'm more familiar with Sinnoh's!"

"Right…" Blue doesn't seem to buy it, but she doesn't let it bother her. "Can't believe you saw a mythical pokémon," With a hand under his chin, he adds, "Hmm, maybe seeing it was a dream as well?"

"Nope!" She shakes her head, "It wasn't! Right after waking up and seeing it, my mom called me because your family came."

Blue stares at her, a thoughtful expression enveloping his face, "What on earth would that pokémon be in Pallet Town anyway? Legends say it's the guardian of some forest in Johto."

He's going to say it… I know it….

"B-beats me," Leaf just shrugs.

"But…" He smirks confidently, "That's just the last piece of the puzzle."

She furrows her brow, "Now what do you mean by that?"

"From what I learnt from that psychic, it seems most of them unlock their power due to some very strong feelings emerging, but also, to having contact with a psychic, or, a psychic pokémon, which Celebi is. Heck, it would also explain that dream of yours. That pokémon must have caused that vision, also unlocking your powers completely."

Leaf bites her lip. It all does make sense when he puts it like that, and there was really not much to deny about his theory. However, she could tell there was something else on his mind, one final statement that she feels it's gonna bring out her inner fears.

"You being a psychic makes sense, since you're the only one who can tell what Red feels, right?" Blue pockets his hands, glancing towards a passing vehicle, "I mean, he just has that blank expression every time, so there's the chance you have been unknowingly sensing his feelings with those dormant powers."

And there it is, the truth she feared hearing. The only thing that Leaf was truly worried about… and scared of.

"Stop…" She whispers, hating what he just said with all her might.

"It does make sense, Leaf." He states firmly, his smile gone, "There's no denying i—"

"STOP!" Leaf yells loudly, eyes shut close.

Silence reigns the park, only interrupted by the sound of fallen leaves being dragged across the cemented path by the cold winds of the night. The chirping of some insect types around echoed eerily as Leaf looks away from Blue, embarrassed by her outburst.

Blue sighs before narrowing his gaze, "Whatever!"

Leaf feels so bad with herself that she can't even look at him. Her selfishness is getting out of hand, and she knows Blue doesn't have to deal with her crap. Even if they're friends, it doesn't mean he has the obligation to put up with her childish reactions.

But she can't help it. The only thing that makes her 'friendship' with Red special is that she somehow knows what he feels, if he feels sad, angry, happy or worried. She thought she had a special connection with him, something only she and Red shared, but if it winds up her being an actual psychic, then that would mean that the uniqueness of their friendship isn't what she thought it was.

The world is about to take that from her.

"Blue… I'm sorry…" She apologizes, suppressing the need to cry. That's the last thing Blue needs to see now.

Blue sighs, massaging his neck, "I know why you're so upset, so it's fine." He steps away from the bench, and Leaf already feels panic spread across her body. "You really like him, yeah?"

Leaf pursed her lips, heat fastly spreading through her cheeks. Despite the fact that she's just eleven, she's also aware of the implications that come with certain feelings emerging among people. Her father and mother had been an example of it, and they are never afraid to show how much they loved each other. How much they care for one another.

She's definitely too young to consider it, but their influence, and the fact that today's society educated children to mature faster due to the countless dangers that surrounded the world may have stripped her of the innocence she should have had at her age.

Or maybe, it is just her.

Whatever the case, nothing will change the fact that this silent boy from Pallet Town has changed her world. Even if nobody would see it, Red has shown her what kindness truly means, and she'd never forget it.

"Blue…" She began, her cheeks flushing red, which she's quick to hide as she pulls up her jacket to cover them, "I don't think you understand how much I do…"

The young Oak stared at her, before rolling his eyes, "Geez… what's with the sudden awkwardness?"

"Sorry…" She muttered again, her voice coming out muffled from inside her jacket.

Blue shrugs his shoulders, waving at her dismissively, "Yeah, yeah. So, what are you going to do now?"

"Dunno… I'm scared…" She replied honestly, averting her gaze to the ground.

Blue seems as troubled as her, walking back and forward for a minute, musing about the matter, and searching for a possible solution to her dilemma.

He came to a stop and suddenly asked, "Are you planning to tell anyone?"

She hadn't thought about it much, but it would be preferable if she wouldn't, considering how psychics are seen by the public. "Not really…"

"What about your family?"

"…I'd rather not…" She grumbled, already feeling guilty for wanting to hide such an important matter from them. "At least not until it's proven…"

Blue furrowed a eyebrow, "And how exactly are you planning to do that if you want to hide it?"

L"I told you I don't know!" She snapped, irritation driving her voice as she snapped up, startling Blue. "This came out of nowhere, you know!?"

Blue backs off, hands raised defensively, "Hey, chill out, would you?" She blinks in realization and before she opens her mouth, he spoke again, "I just want to help, but relax a bit."

He's completely right, she knew that, but Leaf couldn't bring herself to relax, knowing that her life as she knows it would forever change should her fears come to be true.

"It's just… What if people start avoiding me? Psychics always get the ugly eye," She explained grimly, sitting down again and Blue warily did the same. "I know my family would accept it, but…" She eyes him with expectation, "What do you think about this, Blue?"

Leaf could tell he didn't expect her inquiry, but he still relaxes over the bench, making a humming sound of reflection. His gaze wanders across the starry sky for a moment, ultimately landing on her.

"Want me to be _honest_, honest?" He asked, boredom etched on his face.

Of course Leaf doesn't want him to be honest. It's not difficult for her to tell what he thinks despite his aforementioned interactions with one of them at Pallet Labs, and Blue did say they are weird, so her question was intended to be a confirmation of sorts in all honesty.

"...yes."

Blue still looked doubtful over her insincere smile. "You sure?"

"Geez, Blue! Pull out the knife already!" Leaf growled impatiently, leaning to him with menacing eyes. "I'm ready to get stabbed!"

Blue deadpans, backing away, "Hey! I got the message, but that reference is just disturbing."

"Maybe I should stab you instead…"

Blue sweat drops before clearing his throat, "SO AS I WAS SAYING!" He exclaimed and inched away slightly from her, something Leaf guess he did to make sure she isn't going to attack him for real.

Not everyday can Leaf get a look on a nervous Blue, and she admits he looks kinda cute right now.

"You were saying?" She prompts him to continue.

"I think they are a bunch of self-centered idiots," Blue finally says with a shrug. "I've seen enough battles on TV with psychics to tell that they are always full of themselves. Pisses me off since they have the advantage of giving commands to pokémon mentally, while normal trainers have to do so in traditional ways. They shouldn't be allowed into any competitions… maybe that's just the reason Kanto doesn't have any psychic-type driven gym."

While Leaf did expect that kind of response, it isn't what she was meaning to hear… of course Blue would only think competitively if asked about psychics. It's her fault for not specifically pointing out what she meant by her question… for some reason…

"What I asked…" Leaf stops and sighs, "Listen Blue, what would you think if I end up being a psychic?" She says seriously, gripping her skirt unconsciously, "Would your view of me change? Would you see me as a weirdo or fear me because I could read your mind or worse?"

He chuckles in amusement, "C'mon! Of course n—"

"Think about your answer, Blue. You know I could mess with your mind if I learnt to control my abilities."

He narrowed his gaze sharply, sending a shiver down her spine, "Would you?" He inquires, evident through the threatening tone coating his voice.

"W-well…" She stammered, looking away, "My answer may be biased."

There's no way Leaf would use such abilities to intrude in the privacy of other people, but she can't play the nice girl with him. She needs to know his honest answer, and the only way of getting it is by making him believe she would cross that line if given the chance.

Blue drops his gaze, staring at nothing in particular, "I don't think you would."

Leaf blinks, startled at his certainty, "Why? I could win my arguments more easily, or manipulate you. Some psychics are capable of pulling that easily."

"Nobody's saying you can't, but you won't," Blue grinned, pushing her forehead with an index finger. "You'd never hurt a yanma, much less people. With powers or without them."

She pouted in irritation, "You can't be so sure."

A knowing smile popped up on his face, "Red wouldn't hang with you if he suspected something shady about you."

That answer came to her like a slap to her face; she couldn't find a retort to give even if she tried since his statement is undeniable. If there is something she has learned about Red, is that he's very intuitive, and when something bothers him, he simply cuts ties with whatever does it.

"Blue… that's not fair…"

"Maybe…" He shrugged his shoulders, "It's the truth though."

"Geez… Blue," Leaf puffs her cheeks and pinches his arm, Blue wincing in pain and surprise.

"Hey! What was that for?" He growls out.

She sticks out her tongue in teasing manner, "You know you deserved that for acting like a smartass!"

"How the heck does Red put up with you anyway?" Blue rubbed his arm, glaring daggers at her. "You're always short-tempered when he's involved, and—"

"Watch what you're going to say, Blue…" Her voice came out so sharp and edgy that Leaf herself was startled at how it sounded.

She could see a drop of sweat trailing down his forehead, "Okay, okay!" Blue facepalms, suppressing a sigh, "You're going to tell Red, right?

"No…"

He blinked, uncertain if he heard right. "What?"

"No Blue! I'm not telling Red! I don't want him to hate me!" She retorts, her tone rising and a sense of uncertainty filling her chest. "If I were to lose him, I…"

"I know, I know," He raises his hands as if to calm her, "How about if I ask gramps about it without mentioning it's you? Is that fair?"

She bites her lips, not fully convinced, "But he will figure you're talking about someone you know and will realize it's me…He's not a genius for nothing…"

Blue lets out an exasperated grunt. "Oh c'mon, Leaf! You just complain and reject any possible solution."

"Sorry…" She drops her gaze and bites her lower lip, feeling guilty again.

With a hand on his forehead, he makes a humming sound before turning to her. "What if I talk to that psychic at the lab and a—?"

"But—"

"Let me finish! Geez!" He snapped irritatedly and she nodded quickly and nervously, "As I was saying, I can also ask that this person's identity remains unknown to the public," He explains, his voice returning to its default state. "Apparently, there's this camaraderie between psychics… to me it seems like some code or something, but who really cares? Thing is, that psychic did mention the social implications and difficulties that come in hand with being a psychic, so I think he'll cooperate."

Leaf gave no response, and not because she didn't have one. What Blue just offered seemed to be the best course of action to take, and she's just surprised that he actually managed to find the best solution for her problem. A temporary solution, yes, but a solution nonetheless.

Her chest warmed a bit at his clear intent of helping her despite their differences. Maybe if he had been so considerate to her since the day they met some years ago, her feelings might have taken another direction… his direction.

She smiles warmly at him, not caring if her cheeks are flushing, "Thank you, Blue. This really means a lot to me."

He waved at her dismissively, "Don't sweat it. I'm just doing what the future champion of Kanto and the world would do. Helping people and solving their problems comes with that title, you know? I'm not going for the Champion's title just for reputation."

She deadpans, but only for some seconds until a giggle finds its way to her lips, "That's just so like you, Blue."

He smirks, and shrugs his shoulders in a dismissive manner, "But you gotta do your part of the deal for this to work."

Leaf cocks an eyebrow, "What? Am I supposed to do something?"

"Well duh, you gotta practice on your own everyday so you can master your psychic abilities!" He states, or more like commands. His tone implied as much, at any rate, "That is if you really have them."

Leaf looks down before responding to his sharp gaze with one of her own, "Alright! If it turns out I'm a psychic, then I'll be a one that people will like!"

"That is if you reveal it," Blue points out teasingly.

"Give it time!" She barks at him.

* * *

There was a flash.

She couldn't see anything at all.

But that didn't last long.

* * *

Go to profile, **LISTEN**: Link in **RED**: **Chapter 01** Section: **Song 02**

* * *

Round eyes blinked twice before noting the light was not as bright as it first seemed, with some sort of fan behind it. She could differentiate a ceiling above it, which was dark red.

Leaf blinked again, realizing she was looking upward and shook her head before taking on her surroundings, noticing a certain scene before her, that without any sort of warning, made her blood boil in utter irritation.

It didn't take her much to know that she was inside a coffee shop, as there were many tables aligned by the one she was seemingly sat by, with another row at the other side of the moderately big room. Red and black painted every furniture and walls within, the booths and the counter matching the overall design of the establishment.

None of that mattered though as her eyes focused on two people sitting just before her, by the other side of the table, and she could only recognize one of them… although not completely.

It was a boy with somewhat light brown hair, matching eyes and clothes that were awfully familiar, who sported a bland expression as he dug in some sort of dessert. A familiar hat rested at his side over the table, ultimately confirming her suspicions.

'_Red…'_

It was her childhood friend, Red, who seemed to be in his teenage years.

"…Red…? Won't you give me a bite…?" The unknown girl flushed a bit, realizing how wrong that sounded. Leaf just couldn't grasp such boldness, "…I mean, your dessert…?" Leaf blinked at the female quiet voice, its undertone almost seductive, "…Looks… tasty…"

Leaf furrowed her brows, trying to suppress the uneasiness building up in her chest as she studied the unknown girl closely. By all means she was attractive, infuriatingly so, and while Red didn't seem at all mesmerized, much to her relief, she could see every other boy around the place staring and drooling for her.

She had hair so dark blue against skin so white that it somehow made a striking contrast. Her long hair cascaded behind her back like a waterfall, so bright and full of life that Leaf could tell it was extremely well-cared for. Her porcelain skin was ashen, almost anemic; and her lips had that light shade of pink that made them more alluring. Her carmine-colored eyes showed a deep affection as they bore into the face of the silent teenager.

Leaf meant to observe her objectively, as if to understand what traits made the girl this attractive, but it was completely obvious. And the worst of it all was that she seemed attached to the boy _she _cherished.

Didn't take to be a genius for Leaf to understand that she was having another vision of the future, another one she also didn't like at all, but instead of Red looking like a 20-year old man, he was now a teenager. It was most likely an event of a much more closer future.

Leaf looked at her own body for a quick scan, noticing she was in fact bigger… but not as bigger as in that first vision. It was honestly reassuring to know that she would grow in certain areas…

She released a sigh, cursing the fact that her mother's superficial thinking had gotten to her again, leading Leaf to project such a silly thought.

Her attention was drawn to the people before her, jealousy galloping with haste towards her mind. She unconsciously pursed her lips, observing them with bothered eyes, and not a friendly expression.

Red gave no response to the girl and only pushed his plate to her side, which caused a faint smile to paint her pallid face. Leaf sulked as the bold girl took Red's spoon from his hand, and to her horror, she delicately dug into his desert using _his _cutlery.

"…Something wrong, Leaf?"

Leaf turned to the male, dry voice, which made her heart skip a bit, however, before she could even think of a response for this bothersome situation, the other girl shot her a teasing, knowing glance, which furthered her irritation. It was clear that whoever that girl was, meant to get on her nerves on purpose.

"…Oh my, isn't that expression… quite unpleasant to the eye?" Her voice still held that bothersome tone to it, "…Leaf, you may scare the customers if you don't change it…"

Leaf glared daggers at her when suddenly, a sound came from under the table. The brunette leans back to get a better view, spotting a cute, yellow creature eating a plate filled with berries, its zigzag tail flailing.

"That's a much better face," The unknown girl comments, much to her irritation.

And her glare returns almost immediately, however, it doesn't seem to generate any sort of reaction from the irritating girl. What was more, it seemed that the girl was enjoying it greatly.

"Leader Sabrina. You're required at the gym."

A new voice is heard, earning their attention. Leaf's gaze was directed to a tall, bulky man dressed formally, with a black matching hat. His presence was dense, intimidating, and his harsh eyes showed no light to them.

**Sabrina**, apparently the name of the vixen, and more surprisingly enough, a gym leader, merely acknowledged the imposing figure and waved a lock of hair behind her ear, "Why didn't you reach me by phone?" Asked the girl, not bothering to even look at him. "I remember I left Marcus in charge of my duties for the rest of the day."

"I'm afraid I must insist, leader."

Leaf noted right then and there the hostility coming from Red's cold gaze, so easy to notice that even Sabrina sported uncertainty. It was as if Red saw that man as a threat to that girl, which brought an unpleasant realization upon her.

'_He cares for that girl, Sabrina… Just who is she? Why am I seeing this now!?'_

A dense atmosphere began to creep over their table until Sabrina's soft voice cut through the overwhelming silence.

"Don't worry, Red. I'm sure it must be important," Sabrina said casually, putting a hand over his, which Leaf didn't fail to notice. Then she turned to her, disregarding the imposing man, "What do _you _think, Leaf?"

Leaf didn't respond, not because she was angry. She simply didn't understand what she meant by that question, or why she directed it at her specifically. There was no answer to give, no matter how much she thought about it. Her lack of knowledge about these events that had yet to occur was, of course, the reason why she couldn't respond.

"What do you think, Leaf?" Sabrina asked again, malicious eyes boring into hers. "What do _you_ think?

…

…

…

"Earth calling to Leaf. Hey!"

Leaf Green snaps out of her trance at the sudden shout, multiple worried gazes watching her in expectation. It takes her some few seconds to get her bearings and finally craft a response.

"Ah, sorry, sorry," She giggles sheepishly, "Must have fallen asleep."

Certainly, not the best one she could have come with in the spur of the moment.

_Of all places, a vision had to come in the middle of class...'_

A short girl with brown hair tied in a ponytail leans over her desk, "Asleep out of nowhere? With your eyes opened?"

And here Leaf had believed that no more visions would come as two months had already passed since the first and only one. She guesses that it must have been her rigorous training to master her confirmed psychic abilities that had triggered it.

Of course, only Blue and **ROLANDO**, the psychic working in Pallet Labs, knew of Leaf's secret. She has come to trust the elderly man, who happens to be an assistant of Professor Oak for three years now. Honestly, his status as psychic had helped her open up to him, if only by little.

"Hold on," Blue, who is sitting at the desk in front of hers, speaks with that ever casual tone of his. "People sleeping with that kind of habit isn't new, you know. What's the big deal about it?"

"I don't think she was sleeping at all," Comments another boy with short dark-green hair and matching eyes. "To me, Leaf was in some sort of trance or something like it."

"N-n-no at all!" Leaf shakes her head, raising her hands nervously, cursing inside how bad of a liar she is since her shaky voice is giving her away, "I was actually daydreaming! Yeah! That's it! Daydreaming!"

Multiples glances of disbelief and suspicion are exchanged among her classmates, pretty much what she expected anyway. Blue seems as tense as she feels, his fingers tapping against his desk shows her that much, but at least he's much better at managing his voice and demeanor.

The bell signalling the end of break rings loudly, which causes the group of students around Leaf to disperse, dubious gazes still lingering on their faces. Blue shrugs his shoulders, waving a hand as if to tell Leaf to not get bothered by them.

The fact that she's one of the most popular social butterfrees in the academy - according to Blue anyway - has certainly become a nuisance to deal with, since she tends to gather everyone's attention without making any effort. Worst part, she never means to do so, and yet it happens.

A woman she recognized as Blue's mother, Alison, enters the class, wearing thin glasses, a lab coat over a white blouse. A short, black tube skirt and high-heeled shoes completes her outfit.

Each step she takes towards the podium is confident, her smile as radiant as the sun, filling the room with energy and expectation… or that's what her classmates claim about her.

However, Leaf doesn't really share their enthusiasm.

That woman was too jovial for Leaf's liking… or maybe it's that another thing she suspected about her that had inevitably created her dislike towards her. Not maybe, it definitely is.

For Blue's part, he doesn't seem to care that his mother's a teacher in the Academy. He acts like she's just another annoying member of the faculty, which he tends to ignore out of class. Leaf feels she should do the same, but that uneasiness that comes with just looking at her wouldn't go away.

"Good afternoon, everyone!" Alison says with a big smile, leaning on the podium, "Today, we will study the most important gubernamental organization in the world," She glances around the class. "Does anyone know its name?" Only some seconds pass before a girl with curly hair raises a hand, "Yes dear?"

She fidgets a bit due to the sudden attention from her classmates, "Er… I think it's the P.A.?"

Alison nods, "Indeed. The Pokémon Association, or PA for short, is the governing body that represents the Legislation and Judiciary powers of the government in every region. As such, they're responsible for drawing up and enforcing laws regarding both human and pokémon, as well as funding and overseeing general competitions." She gives some steps between their desks, holding a tablet between her arms, "Please open the document number 13 from the server."

Leaf looked at the tactile screen implanted into her desk, and entered the Academy's server after logging in with her account. She browsed through several options, searching for Alison Oak's carpet. Once inside, a list of numbered documents is displayed, with numbers 1 to 13 unlocked for access.

The document 13 shows many pages filled with text, the title: Government, administrative divisions and foreign relations.

Alison waits for a minute before speaking again, "As you all can see at first glance, politics in our region and every other is handled by the PA. The Champions, the League and the Gym leaders work with the PA to ensure peace between all regions and help in the development of our society alongside Pokémon. The PA's judiciary interprets and applies the laws for the most part, while the legislature implements regulations—."

The woman continues with her speech, but Leaf focuses on the document instead. She has been meaning to learn about the political powers that governed over the regions for a long time. Websites and forums on the internet had plenty of information, but most of them came from unreliable sources. Official sites were restricted by age, and since she was too young to get a trainer's license, she couldn't access them.

With the voice of the teacher being only a distant echo, she read to her heart's content.

According to the document, the Association also focuses on organizing many competitions, such as the **League Conferences**, the **Champion's League** and the **World Championship**. A branch of the PA known as the **Pokémon Activities Committee** organizes events such as the Pokémon Contests, **Showcases**, **Pokéatlons **and **Grand Festivals**. All of these provide the PA the necessary funds to not only organize them, but also to pay League and Gym Leaders alike, also providing them with ultra balls.

Leaf spies on the teacher, who is now reading something on her tablet, asking one of her classmates some questions about the current subject. She decides to continue reading the doc, the next part catching her interest.

The **Military **is the second most important body government, in charge of protecting a region should a conflict with another arise. The military is also in charge of all contingency operations regarding Omega tier threats.

Leaf blinks at that, wondering what that meant. She quickly scrolls down the document until a section with the title: 'Laws and Regulations' comes by. Her pale brown eyes analyze a list of rules until one in particular catches her attention.

Depending on the level of danger a legendary, or a group of rampaging pokémon may create to cities, habitats, etc, they have been classified as: Alfa, Delta, Sigma and Omega Tier. Made sense, that the military itself would intervene to deal with the most dangerous threats.

Silence fills the class, making Leaf aware of her surroundings. She realizes that everyone's looking at her, and Blue is pointing behind her. A sense of dread overwhelms her as she looks over her shoulder.

"Leaf Green," Alison says, standing just at her side as she looks at the screen on the desk. "I see you're way ahead in today's subject… again. Would you mind explaining to us what you learnt?"

If there is something that Leaf does well is being a good student, never missing classes, doing all assignments without delay, studying when needed and getting good grades, with the exception of anything related to the wild life of every region.

However, her attention span towards a teacher's lecture is lacking, but only because of her own disinterest in them. She can't stand to wait for them to give it, for them to explain the subjects at their slow pace. Why would she wait in the first place when she already has the information in her grasp?

Mathematics, physics and certain sciences were an objection to this rule since they required a more detailed explanation, using theory, examples and exercises to effectively explain them, and ultimately solve them, but history and citizenship only required one to basically read and remember.

However, that doesn't mean she's ready to explain the subject since she skimmed several pages in her excitement to know more about the administrative divisions and the regulations.

"Er… what part exactly?"

"Leaf Green," Alison states with a curt tone, causing her to straighten her back. "I understand your enthusiasm, but I'd like it if we could advance the class together. It's not the first time we talked about this, yes dear?"

Leaf nods, forcing herself to relax. She sighs inwardly as she scrolls up the document where the others were, and shoots her a glance to see the woman pleased.

"So," Alison speaks up, her focus back on the whole class, "As we know, every law and regulation is implemented by the association, but all administrative divisions are in charge of reinforcing them. For example, we have the…"

Leaf blinks, seeing a notification popping up on the screen. It was a private message, sent directly to her account by none other than Blue himself, recognizing his username: _**MasterTrainer43**_. Naturally, messaging and chatting during class is not permitted, so she glances at the teacher before opening it, the screen displaying a small chat window.

[MasterTrainer43: let me guess, u just had another vision right?]

Leaf raises her gaze, noticing him looking at her over his shoulder. She activates the virtual keyboard, tapping rapidly to give him a response.

[Nantya: Yeah, didn't like it either :(]

It took only a few seconds for Blue to message back.

[MasterTrainer43: what was it about? was I there dis time?]

[Nantya: No…]

[MasterTrainer43: was REd there again?]

[Nantya: ...Yeah?]

Leaf notices Blue turning to her with a robotic-like motion, the sound of rusty metal accompanying it inside her head for her own amusement.

[MasterTrainer43: maybe those visions r biased]

[Nantya: No, Blue! I don't get to choose what I see, u know? It just happens!]

[MasterTrainer43: soooo why didn't u like it dis time 'round?]

Leaf notices the woman approaching and quickly minimizes the chat window, pretending to be reading the doc while listening to the lecture. A glance at Blue follows, and she can tell he's doing just the same.

Alison observes them both for a few seconds, eyes narrowing in suspicion… before she walks away to continue the class, much to her relief. With the chat window opened again, she taps on the tactile keyboard.

[Nantya: Can't u ask dat later? We'll get in trouble.]

[MasterTrainer43: can't stay 4 dat. goin 2 da ranch with da guys later and Red's coming 2]

Leaf frowns and puffs her cheek, honestly irritated by the revelation.

[Nantya: U hang out with them all the time, Blue. This is important!]

[MasterTrainer43: I know, but we had dat planned 4 days]

[Nantya: So!?]

[MasterTrainer43: so i'mma goin 2 da ranch]

[Nantya: Fine! Whatever! Not gonna tell ya a damn thing!]

Blue glances at her, raising his hands as if to show his confusion, and makes Leaf heck more pissed since it's more than obvious why she's mad.

[MasterTrainer43: why u mad now?]

[Nantya: forget it! I don't care!]

Leaf huffs, closing the chat window completely. For the following minutes, she deliberately ignores the next notifications from 'MasterTrainer43' and decides to focus on the class. Soon, a piece of paper flies her way, impacting her forehead and landing over her desk. Irritation overflows her as she glares at Blue, and when she decides to open it, her eyes narrow dangerously at its content.

[Nantya: Not funny, Blue! I'm gonna kick your butt!]

For the smirk that idiotic brunette sported, it seemed that he didn't care and, to her slight annoyance, found the whole thing amusing.

* * *

There was no flash of light.

Rather, there wasn't any kind of light at all.

"Hey, Leaf," A female voice is heard in the form of a whisper. "Wake up!"

No matter how much she tried, she couldn't see anything at all, yet that voice seemed to be so close… she wondered if she had gone blind or something.

And without further warning, Leaf felt someone pulling something from around her head, her vision back, an unfamiliar female face observing her expectantly as she held in her hand a sleep mask Leaf must have been using.

The last thing Leaf could remember is her getting into bed early since she had been studying 'till late the previous day, so this abrupt change of scenery certainly brought certain implications.

Not only the girl was unknown to her but so were her surroundings, and as she suspected, it only took her a glance at herself to confirm that she was having yet another vision of the future.

* * *

Go to profile, **LISTEN**: Link in **RED**: **Chapter 01** Section: **Song 03**

* * *

A rather quick examination made Leaf realize that she was inside a plane of sorts, not the large kind that would be used for transporting a great number of passengers, but one meant to work as a cargo plane. Still, there were two rows of three seats, six in total with three of them occupied.

Unsurprisingly at this point, an apparent older version of Red was sleeping soundly on his seat, his downed hat concealing everything but his mouth.

Her surprise though came when she spotted Blue and a very stylish and beautiful blackhead that seemed slightly older, speaking by the back seats. The closeness between the two was notable even if she knew nothing about the current circumstances.

_'Blue… is flirting with a girl? …A girl that looks like a supermodel!?'_

However, her stupor was interrupted as she felt herself being dragged by her arm towards Red's seat, by none other than the first unfamiliar face.

Leaf blinked in surprise as they stood before the sleeping boy. It is then that she finally observed the apparent bubbly girl at her side.

She had dark-red hair, tan skin, blue eyes and sported some sort of hair accessory that resembled a propellor around her bun, somewhat ridiculous if Leaf was to put it. However, her particular outfit was her most striking aspect as it consisted of a long-sleeved light blue crop top, light blue short-shorts and some straps that wrapped around her body. It all defined her amazing proportions, but at the expense of looking like an exhibitionist…

"Let's paint his face, c'mon, Leaf!" The girl urged, holding two black markers with an over-excited expression. Leaf, of course, failed to see what the big deal was, even more, she found her suggestion quite reproachable, "Don't give me that face, it will be funny!"

"Skyla… shouldn't you be, like, piloting the plane instead of pulling pranks?" The stylish slender girl with bright eyes, who wore a bold blue and yellow two piece, said out loud. Leaf wondered why were these women dressed as provocative as they did.

The girl addressed as **SKYLA **rolled her eyes, "You know I always put the automatic pilot, Elesa. Don't be such a wuss and let me have some fun!"

Blue scratched the back of his head, "That's what you call 'some fun'?" With arms folded and a smirk adorning his face, he added teasingly. "How old are you?"

The redhead puffed her cheeks, looking slightly aggravated, "Old enough to know that not everything has to revolve around se—"

"Woah there! Chill out!" Blue cut her off, a faint blush on his face, reason enough for that girl called **Elesa **to giggle in amusement. "Who the heck's talking about that?! I was referring to pokémon battles, you know!?"

There was no mistaking, there was something between him and that blackhead, even if it was certainly quite hard to believe that he of all people would become engaged in romance. She knew Blue, and she had expected him to only focus on becoming a pokémon master even as a grown up, but seeing his proximity with an actual girl… It was just weird.

Maybe she was misreading it? …Overthinking it? Or maybe it was just the adolescence hitting him?

Skyla averted her gaze in shame, glancing at Red briefly, "I-I know… just let me be, alright? Been some time since we saw you three… B-besides, not everyday I get the chance to mess up with him, yeah?"

'_ANOTHER ONE!? What the hell are you doing Red? I mean, what the hell will you do?'_

Leaf furrowed her brows, understanding well what was happening, for whatever reason… didn't mean she liked it, in fact, it was just another future worry she didn't need to know of yet.

Elesa shot her an inquisitive stare, "He's _The _Red, Skyla. You just can't paint his face, remember he's—"

Blue waves a hand with a cocky smile, "Nah, he always avoids the public anyway. Nobody will see him even if she painted his face. Just let her do it…" He glances at Leaf, "Unless… someone wants to do it first."

Leaf felt like retorting, but upon closer consideration, to have a sleeping Red all to herself didn't sound like a bad idea…

Realization dawned on her and she quickly shook her head to remove such questionable thoughts out of her mind, however, Blue's larger smirk and Skyla's knowing expression were proof enough for Leaf to know they may have noticed her inner desires by watching whatever face she put some moments ago.

She seriously hated being so easy to read…

Leaf spots a Pikachu running at the back of the passenger deck when a beeping sound suddenly comes from the flight deck, "Oh! We're already nearing Mistralton City!" Skyla says cheerfully, and Leaf releases a sigh of relief as everyone had apparently forgotten the previous implications. "We'll have a big celebration at my place and have a blast!"

Blue deadpans, "What are we celebrating now?"

"That you guys came back to Unova of course!" She grinned before turning to Red, who just awoken and was staring blankly through the window. "Besides, this might just be the time for Red to keep his promise."

And the boy finally joins in the conversation, "…You mean, about going on a training trip together?"

The redhead beamed at him, "Red, you remembered!" And to Leaf's horror, she jumped to his seat, enveloping him in a clearly tight hug. Elesa giggles at the sight, and Blue glances at Leaf in uncertainty as he apparently remembers her affections for him.

Leaf was well aware that this was just a vision, something that had yet to happen, something that even may not happen, but she can't help herself but feel hurt and hollow inside at the mere thought of it actually occurring.

Elesa stood from her seat and approached her, leaning to Leaf as she whispered with a malicious tone, "Say Leaf, will you just watch and fall behind?" Her face showed a dark smile, "Will you?"

…

…

…

A twelve-year-old Leaf stares at nothing in particular.

She's lying on her bed, wearing her pajamas, her mind racing with many thoughts about the vision she just had. She wonders if there is some sort of meaning or final goal to them, but every theory is aggressively clouded when the thought of losing Red pops up, after all, each vision so far has shown her that she will one way or another.

Are these visions meant to prepare her for a future where Red would be out of her reach?

She still feared for the wellbeing of Red's adult version, and the only reason why she hasn't told him about it is because of Blue and the fact that she's hiding her psychic nature from everybody. She has questioned herself many times for it, and while she had wanted to reveal it at least to her family, Blue convinced her against doing it.

Not to mention that the mere thought of other girls becoming so close to him feels like a dagger cleaving her heart, and she cursed the fact that she let it all hurt her so much. Even after two years, she just can't control her appreciation for the boy that had changed her world.

Leaf knows it's silly that she would project this kind of sentiment being one so young, but she's too self-conscious to ignore it…

Could it be it that her psychic capabilities had somehow caused her inability to control her feelings, or maybe they had made them stronger than they should be?

Next time she sees Rolando, she will ask him about those two possibilities. Now, she needs something to help her distract a bit. To keep thinking about her visions won't do.

Leaf picks up her **PokéGear** from the nightstand, checking on the current time.

It was close to 5am.

Leaf wipes the moisture in her eyes and gets out of bed, sitting by her desk. It's still dark, so she turns on her desk lamp, and decides to study since she's no longer sleepy and needs to kill some time.

Her current subject is about the main industries around every region as her class is now focusing on Economy.

Leaf is already aware that almost all regions' economies are central to capitalism. As such, private property, capital accumulation, wage labor, voluntary exchange, a price system and competitive markets were all implemented as part of their economic system. They also use the same currency, the **Pokédollar**, as determined by a treaty made between all regions to ensure a solid and more beneficial commerce between them.

Now, the industries are divided in categories:

Research.

Technology.

Health care.

Trainer equipment and pokémon related products.

Breeder companies.

Pokéathlon, Pokémon Contests and Showcases.

Pokémon Tournaments.

Despite each industry focusing on a particular subject in order to gain resources, they all share the same goal, which is of course the development of the human society alongside pokémon.

"I'll leave research for later. Alright, let's start with technology!"

And so, Leaf Green spends her free time reviewing about every important industry and some other subjects before getting ready for the academy.

* * *

There were many flashes of light.

Spread all around her, they were.

* * *

Go to profile, **LISTEN**: Link in **RED**: **Chapter 01** Section: **Song 04**

* * *

Leaf blinked, realizing that all the shining dots within her surroundings belonged to the city lights coming out from the windows of tall buildings, advertising screens and signs fading and popping up incessantly. With so many sources of light in the vicinity, it was certainly difficult to even notice the color of the night sky despite her efforts to discern it.

Multiple female giggles came from behind her suddenly, and so she turned to see to whom they belonged to. As she had expected, unfamiliar faces greeted her, three in total, not to mention that she couldn't recognize her whereabouts at all.

There was no doubt this was another vision, and this time she was prepared to get as much information as she could.

The trio before her were all females, and they appeared to be around 17 or 18 years old.

Among the three, the girl with navy blue hair and dark blue eyes seemed to be the youngest, who sported a long-sleeved red sweater-dress, a white bag hanging from her shoulder, white knee-length stockings and matching pink boots. Over her head she used a white beanie with a pink design on it.

The tallest between them had brown eyes, and interestingly enough, short half-brown, half-black hair. Her outfit was composed of a black long-sleeved crop top that showed her midriff under a green cloak… Leaf wondered if she didn't feel cold, exposing that much skin. To be honest though, those brown knee-length khaki shorts and green boots of hers have Leaf the impression she was a tomboy..

Finally, the last one had olive eyes, long, dark-green hair tied into a segmented ponytail, resting over her shoulder and hanging down in front of her. Unlike the other two, she appeared to be far more reserved, wearing a light green-colored long jacket with a white button pin on the top, a black undershirt, a long dark green skirt that had splits, and black boots.

The bluehead with the beanie raised a hand upward cheerfully, "Alright! Gardenia, Leaf, Cheryl! You all ready for the girls night!?" She held Leaf by her arm and exclaimed, "We gotta celebrate that Leaf and me got to the semifinals!"

'_Semifinals? Of a tournament or something?'_

"You said it, Dawn!" The girl addressed as **GARDENIA **grins, her brown eyes glittering with the city lights, "Let's go all out!"

**DAWN **nods in agreement, and Leaf can't help but smile at their excitement, even if they are unknown to her.

However, the green-haired one, which she could guess was **CHERYL**, didn't seem to share their enthusiasm, instead showing worry, "I still feel bad for ditching Red and Lucas… they will be worried about us…"

"Took care of that already," Said Dawn with a playful wink, showing some sort of device, similar to a PokéDial. "Told them we're gonna visit the shopping mall, so no worries."

"Still… at least we should have brought our pokémon," The timid girl replied, biting her lip. "I don't like leaving Dorothea alone…"

"You worry too much, Cheryl," Retorted Gardenia, waving a hand as if to disregard her comment. "Your Chansey was sleeping soundly in your room. Hearthome's Trainer House has the best accommodations, you know? Besides, if you just had left her inside her pokéball, you—"

Cheryl shook her head, "No, Dorothea hasn't been out much lately."

Gardenia shrugs her shoulders, "But it's not like she can notice either way, you know? You're forgetting that pokèballs create a believable, and pleasant habitat for each kind of pokémon? Your Chansey won't even notice."

The greenhead frowned in response, "I'm surprised that someone that fights for the preservation of real pokémon habitats would approve of keeping pokémon in stasis."

With a roll of her eyes, Gardenia responds, "Don't try to turn the tables on me, Cheryl. I'm just saying that it's not every day we've the chance of going out us four, right? I just want us to enjoy ourselves today, you know?"

Cheryl rested a hand on her chest, eyes averted, "I-I know… sorry…"

Leaf could sense an almost faint, but still tense atmosphere building up, but thankfully, Dawn came to the rescue, snapping them both out of it as she dragged them both by their arms, "I'm not going to let you guys spoil this outing!"

"D-Dawn? I'm gonna trip!"

Gardenia grins, "Now you're talking!"

Leaf watched them get ahead before noticing some sort of shadow moving through the rooftops of the city, so fast and so easy that she could barely follow it with her gaze. The lights did nothing to reveal its form.

Once close though, whatever it was, it turned to her, allowing Leaf to discern a head with a white ghostly plume billowing from it. It had a red spiky growth around its neck, and a sole bright blue eye shone eerily as it bore into her, apparently having noted her presence.

She tensed immediately, a sense of foreboding and fear paralyzing her every muscle, cold drops of sweat trailing across her forehead, down her cheek. Leaf felt her body becoming weaker and weaker until her sight began to fade slowly into darkness.

And in mere seconds, Leaf felt despair drown her senses completely.

…

…

…

Leaf Green jolts awake, her teary eyes wide open, only to see a face carefully watching her. It's Orlando, the psychic working in Pallet Labs, who had become her psychologist as a cover, but in reality, he had become her mentor as he's an experienced psychic.

It had been Blue's idea for her to see him, and it has been ultimately for the best.

Inside Rolando's office, Leaf tries to steady herself, though her breathing still comes out a bit ragged, and her heart is pounding painfully and fast. She can still feel the faint echo of the overwhelming fear that took hold of her senses, but suddenly, she feels calmness invade her mind, a sentiment most likely provided by Orlando through the link they have created between their minds.

The elderly bald man offers her a napkin then, which she accepts without further thought as she tries to organize her thoughts now that she has relaxed.

It should be said that Leaf truly appreciates her mentor's consideration, after all, he hasn't asked anything about her current state and the vision's content, but his eyes filled with experience pretty much tells her he must have arrived to his own conclusions.

"Sorry… I just had one of those visions…" Leaf says almost quietly.

The man smiled kindly and nods, "I figured as much, given your previous emotional state. Don't worry though, as I told you before, they don't necessarily show pleasant events. Besides, precognition is not a rare ability among psychics, and while only 3 out of 10 can develop it, the community is well aware of its significance."

Leaf returns the smile, yet it fades as fast as it comes, "But unlike other abilities, this one can't be controlled…"

"Not quite, young Leaf. Mastering the basics can actually allow one to use precognition at will, given the right conditions of course," He elaborates while scribbling on a notepad, "For example, your particular type of precognition comes in the form of visions of a distant future, which often needs a visual feed or a strong memory in order to be triggered. Many psychics have managed to control and initiate precognition with enough training, so I'm certain you'll do so too if you manage to comprehend your ability completely."

Leaf reflects a bit before asking, "Is there another type of precognition?"

"Indeed. There's also 'instant precognition', which allows certain psychics to predict the future, but only for a short amount of time ahead, as if seeing the future seven or eight seconds ahead of the current time." He folds his arms, "What you can initiate however, is 'distant precognition'."

"I see… Will I stop experiencing more visions without my consent once I practice enough?" She inquires, slightly fearful of the answer.

It is not without a reason why she started fearing them as she only got in return worries of a future yet to come.

"I'd like to say that's the case, but it's not certain. It has been documented that veteran psychics still get fortuitous visions despite mastering precognition, however, the statistics say such cases are rare," With a thoughtful hand under his chin, Rolando explains himself further, "The reason for such could be that most experienced psychics are reserved or too prideful."

"Really?" Leaf bites her lip, uncertain, "Just for that?"

"Think about it a little. There's not only the fact that most psychics are feared and rejected because of their abilities, but also that irrepressible premonitions may show events of their personal life. It wouldn't be a surprise if they chose to hide them for their own sake, ignoring research purposes."

Leaf nods in understanding, "I see… so, about the pride part, I guess veteran psychics wouldn't admit having irrepressible premonitions because they supposedly mastered it?"

Rolando smiles, his wrinkles becoming far more noticeable, "Indeed, young Leaf. For all we know, those two reasons alone could have led the statistics in that direction."

Leaf knew statistics is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, displaying, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data, therefore, these statistics will obviously present a result based on the information available.

So, since veteran psychics that would accept having irrepressible precognitions is a minority, then it makes sense that these cases are categorized as unusual.

"I understand," She says, agreeing with him.

Then, Leaf drops her gaze briefly, lost in her thoughts and doubts. She hasn't seen something that she would be unwilling to share… yet, but she has no doubt that something like it will come, and she isn't sure how she'll react.

Pride, however, isn't something she'll consider as a reason to hide her visions, even if she manages to master her abilities in the future.

"Doctor Rolando…" She starts after taking a deep breath, "I want to talk about my last vision…"

The elderly man closes his eyes, "You don't need to, Leaf. Whatever you saw, it scared you, and the last thing we need is—"

She shakes her head, "Actually, I do need to. I can only talk about them with you and Blue…"

The elderly man observes her for a few seconds. and Leaf - for some strange reason - he must be sensing her determination. He slowly nods his head, and relaxes over his seat, "Very well. Go ahead."

Leaf Green tries to remember as much as she can, and once she feels comfortable enough, she speaks again.

"Okay, right. It started like this…"

* * *

There was a faint flash of light in the distance.

One that disappeared as fast as it came.

Leaf stared around her, realizing that she was in some sort of forest, covered in thick, blinding fog. She felt uneasiness building up in her chest, her palms sweating at every unknown around her.

A new flash came from another direction, or more like a spark, most likely created by the clashing of metal against metal as a loud 'clang' echoed fiercely throughout the entire forest.

The Kantonian girl knew there was no use in waiting, and so she raced forward, approaching the area where more sparks were seemingly being created. The sound became louder and louder, yet a sudden scream reverberated all around her, sending chills down her spine.

"I-I said I don't need help!"

Leaf stopped on her tracks, and without further thought moved towards the voice. She ran through the fog, uncertain of the road ahead, nor her destination, until a small hole in the ground made her stumble, thus causing her to fall over a puddle of water.

She cursed bitterly before noting within her reflection on the water how older she looked, just like in that first vision. Most likely an event happening around that time, which meant one thing.

She would be able to see Red as an adult again… although, considering how the first vision ended… would she really? What if her current vision occurred after it? She did saw him disappearing within that dome of light created by whatever was that thing…

Leaf shook her head, trying to remove those depressing thoughts from her mind, hoping that Red had managed to live through that day in case this current vision is from a time after her first one. She was honestly scared of the outcome of that event, a worry that had only furthered her anxiousness as time passed on.

The brunette got on her feet, wiping the mud out of her hands and knees. She scanned around her, noticing more sparks, louder clangs and even roars of unknown origin. Those definitely belonged to a pokémon, nothing like she had ever heard before.

Suddenly, several trees collapsed, one after another, tremors following, dust spreading, her rising fear increasing exponentially as she watched two forms moving at incredible speed, like blurs crashing again and again, the sparks being the proof of each one of their close encounters.

However, fast and louds steps approaching her earshot made Leaf redirect her focus, her big eyes spotting a very familiar person, who carried someone apparently injured on his back. However, it was in that moment that her confusion overwhelmed her, noting the fact that the familiar face was actually Red, who barely looked older than a teen.

'_W-wait! I'm older! Why is he…?' _

She glanced at herself again, only to confirm that she was indeed an adult, unlike the approaching boy, who sported the same outfit he wore during the vision with that girl, Sabrina. It didn't make sense, at all. She and Red were the same age, but even as he stood at her side, panting, and looking certainly worried, his height was only a bit taller than hers…

This wasn't the adult Red she was supposed to see, the tall man he was supposed to become. Leaf could clearly see she was a woman in all her rights, yet he… he was a teen again…

'_Why? What's going on?'_

* * *

Go to profile, **LISTEN**: Link in **RED**: **Chapter 01** Section: **Song 05**

* * *

"Leaf!" She blinked twice, Red's holler taking her out of her stupor, "Take Marnie with you, she's hurt."

Leaf examined the girl addressed as **MARNIE** quickly, coming to notice her icy blue eyes, black hair tied in twintails with red ribbons, with bangs covering only half of her forehead, the other side cut short. This girl frowned and glared daggers at the back of Red's head as he knelt for her to stand on her own. She managed to do so with difficulty as her left ankle seemed to be sprained.

The girl looked to be the same age as Red, and she wore a black choker, a pink dress under a black gothic jacket, black and pink colored boots completing her outfit. She reminded Leaf of gang members of some TV shows, with the only exception being that this girl was too cute to be one… but who knew really, looks sometimes were deceiving.

"That was a minor mistake," Marnie growled, puffing her cheeks. "That Pokémon is a legendary-type, yeah?" Red only stared in response, and her glare deepened, "That's the only reason why I got hurt! And who said I needed your help anyway!?"

Red spun around, fixing his cap, "…Whether that is the case or not, your safety is all that matters." His response came with a monotonous tone, his statement causing her to blush. However, Leaf could see his tension, which was understandable considering that there was a legendary pokemon out there, that if Marnie's claims were true. "…You don't understand how dangerous that pokémon is."

"Of course I do!" She retorted, gritting her teeth, "And that was not—" Her voice faded, her blue eyes gazing up at the sky, "W-what's going on?"

Leaf followed her gaze, eyes widening as the moon behind the endless amount of trees was for some reason shining unnaturally. It took her some seconds to realize that a pokémon was about to use the fairy-type move **Moonblast**, which she remembered from her class of special type moves.

That was one of the strongest moves a fairy pokémon could learn, and it was about to be unleashed upon them much to her horror.

A bright light came from within the forest, becoming wider and obliterating every tree on its wake towards them. Marnie stepped back in shock, wincing from the pain in her ankle, while Leaf watched the deadly ball of moon energy coming at them.

It was too late to do anything, or so she thought.

A rather tall and slim figure stood before them in a protective manner, a pokémon to be exact. It had a kite-shaped head with three blunt horns extending from its forehead, large segmented arms that ended in large, round pincers, a large abdomen, and legs defined by large, thin thighs and and wide calves. However, above all else, its most notable aspect was it's metallic, red skin.

"Scizor! Flash cannon!"

The Pincer pokemon extended its arms forward, light rapidly accumulating inside its pincers, only to be expelled at the incoming moonblast. Both opposite forces clashed violently, an explosion expanding from the point of impact.

Leaf did her best to keep herself balanced despite the pulse pushing them back. She glanced at the girl that was hurt, jealousy instantly replacing the worry she held for her as Red held Marnie in his arms to keep them both standing. She could understand his intent, but it still irritated her all the same.

All those pointless thoughts were interrupted however, as another moonblast headed their way, larger than the last, and deadlier, needless to say. The dual bug/steel type pokémon known as **SCIZOR**, braced itself for the incoming attack.

Just by the sight of the big hole caused by the previous explosion, all vegetation gone inside the radius of destruction, Leaf knew that the next would certainly compromise their safety.

Red waved a hand to the side, his face as ferocious as the one of his apparent pokémon, "Giga impact, ground!"

Scizor's pincers took on a purplish glow before he smashed them on the ground, the force behind it pushing the very soil up, thus creating a natural shield against the moonblast. Cracks spread across the make-up shield, but thankfully, it managed to hold the blast, if only barely.

Red plucked up a pokébal from his belt and released it before him. After the display of light, Leaf blinked at the sight of a pokémon she had never seen, yet it somehow resembled one native to the Kanto region.

It was of avian nature, displaying white feathers, a yellow beak, brown eyes with an eyebrow-like marking over them. Its short legs and webbed feet were yellow, and the three-feather crest on its head as well as its stubby tail were white.

Somehow, its wings worked as humanoid hands as the feathers held firmly a massive leek, giving Leaf the impression that the avian pokémon wielded it as some sort of lance, the long, sharpened stalk clearly a weapon for offensive purposes. The other wing held a shield of sorts made of hardened leaves.

"Sirfetch'd, scout!" Red commanded.

'_Sirfetch'd?' _Leaf wondered, noting the resemblance not only in their names but also in their appearance. '_Like Farfetch'd? Is this some kind of evolution I haven't heard of?'_

**SIRFETCH'D **sprinted at blinding speed past the falling natural shield, moving with a grace Leaf had only seen in pokémon trained for contests and showcases.

Her interest in the pokémon was cut short when Marnie unclips a pokéball from her belt, "Not letting you do all the work, Red." She glanced at Leaf with a curt expression. "What are you doing there? Do something, would you?"

Leaf blinked at the girl's outburst before turning to see Scizor jumping over the remains of the shield, in order to engage whatever legendary pokémon they were facing. It was hard to believe that they would actually face one, somewhere in the future… and seeing the difference in Red's age to hers, it was confusing to assume when.

"…Leaf," She turned to the voice calling her name, so similar, and at the same time, different from the younger Red she knew. "…Think carefully. What are you going to do?"

It was as if his voice held a sharpness that was not present in the one that she saw everyday in the academy, a voice that rivaled the deadly scythes of the bug pokémon known as **SCYTHER**, which ironically enough, was the involution of Red's Scizor in this vision.

All Leaf could do was to nervously gaze at him for a moment before the terrain-made shield finally collapsed, a cloud of dust expanding in every direction, covering her sight completely.

…

…

…

"Hey, Leaf! Throw the ball already!"

Leaf Green flinches at the sudden shout, the gears of her mind being forced to work as her trance-like state is interrupted. Her eyes look from side to side as she tries to recall what is the last thing she saw before the vision came.

Only a couple of seconds are needed for her to remember that she's at the Pokémon Academy, in the underground campus meant for drills. At this moment, for example, their pokéball throwing practice was taking place.

Leaf shakes her head quickly, and tries to pretend that nothing had occurred, focusing on what she's supposed to be doing, which is, throwing pokéballs. She ignores the curious and confused gazes directed at her since her psychic vision had most likely made her non-reacting to all exterior feed while it lasted.

She aims towards her target, which is the hologram of a rattata created by the countless panels positioned across the underground campus. These are specially designed to create a more realistic experience for trainers-in-the-making.

It looks too real, the purple rodent moving and acting like a real one would do, with the exception of the random interferences in the image, bringing her to remember it's not. Leaf observes it for some seconds and aims the lens of the training ball towards it, a sound indicating that it was recognized, therefore, to be able to 'capture it'.

After all, the fact that pokéballs and its many variants have to lock and recognize pokémons is one of the regulations the PA had applied over the course of the decade in order to prevent these containers on working on actual people.

Of course, being able to store human beings inside containers had been for several years a mayor goal for many research companies, however, atomizing human beings and converting them to data had inevitably caused time and time again, mental damage to those that volunteered for the experiments, either crippling their cognitive skills, destroying their memory and causing brain damage in general.

The PA had established then a law that forbade all technology companies from developing and manufacturing pokéballs or any container that didn't have the **Pokémon/Item Filter **on them, which, as the name implies, allows only store pokémon/inert matter. Using any previous models without the filter is considered a severe crime that is sentenced to penal servitude for life, or even execution should a person's well-being had been compromised.

In order to enforce such regulation, all pokémon healing stations, and every system that saved the data of pokéballs and containers in the net can detect if the filter program is installed within them, allowing the authorities to efficiently track all offenders.

"Spacing out again? C'mon!"

She blinks, focusing again and finally, throws the practice balls to the hologram, unexpectedly missing as it moves away from it. Giggles and laughter erupt among her classmates as she lets out an dispirited "Aw…" while glancing at the rolling ball.

However, the hologram next to hers is 'hit' by another practice ball, simulating the effect of the rattata becoming energy before being swallowed by it. It rolls from side to side until a flash of light in its lens signals that it has been 'caught'.

Leaf pouts as her best friend picks it up, smirking and somehow spinning the ball over the tip of his index finger.

"Mr. Oak, good job," A congratulations comes from their professor, nodding in approval. "Your throw went on a straight line while keeping yourself balanced." Fixing his thick glasses over his nose, the black-haired man turned to the rest, "Always remember, good throws can be the difference between life and death, so make sure to practice enough. And always get the lock-on on your target first, or else, the pokéball won't work."

More students follow Blue's steps and successfully 'catch' their respective holograms while Leaf decides to try again, picking up her practice ball. As she prepares for another throw, Blue approaches her with that carefree expression of his that she got accustomed to seeing over the years.

"So, another one, yeah?"

She nods her head, "Yeah… saw new pokémon again."

"Like those scary ones from the others?" He asks, folding his arms, "I still haven't found out what pokémon you saw in your first vision. There's not data about the one that Red apparently owned anywhere… or that shiny thing you saw… although I heard about Lunala being an actual pokémon in the Alola region."

Leaf makes a thoughtful hum, surprised by how much Blue has been digging about the pokémon since her very first vision. She guesses that many pokémon native to other regions are still unknown to this one, or maybe, new ones are being discovered, which would explain why Blue has yet to find the identity of those unknown to them.

"Well, this time, I saw a pokémon that looked very similar to a farfetch'd," She explains, glancing at the practice ball, it's metallic surface reflecting the lights of the ceiling. She blinks at the exposure of light and moves the ball away, "Dunno if it was a regional variant, or a evolution."

Blue grins, "Oh, that must be it's evolution called Sirfetch'd, right? It had a sword and a shield of sorts, right?"

Leaf shrugs her shoulders, "Kinda. The leek looked more like a lance than a sword though." She focuses again and throws the practice ball with a forward spin, this time hitting and 'capturing' the hologram, a tiny smile gracing her lips. She then turns to him, "So you do know about it, then? Didn't know a farfetch'd could evolve."

"In Kanto and other regions, well, it can't, but the galarian farfetch'd has a fighting-type regional form, an evolution, so to speak. So yeah, not many people know about it. But… gramps' database is very extensive, you know?"

Leaf frowns, "Galarian? So my vision was in Galar then…"

She's aware that certain pokémon, depending on the region they habit, adapt to different habitats, thus leading them to grow and develop different characteristics, not only in their appearance, but also their type, abilities, stats, height and weight. This phenomenon is known as the **Regional Variant**.

Blue seems to consider her comment but shrugs at her, "Who knows? What happens in your vision exactly?"

She explains it with every detail she can recall, emphasizing the fact that a legendary type attacked her, that girl Marnie and a teenage version of Red, while she was an adult. Blue listens attentively, narrowing his gaze from time to time without interrupting her.

Once she's finished, he speaks his mind, "Well, there's no telling if you're in Galar. Red could have captured a galarian farfetch'd there and this vision could be anywhere else. Damn, I'm jealous he'll get a scizor, too!"

"Focus, Blue!" She snaps at him, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, right. Well, if you never saw the legendary pokémon, then we can't tell in which region you were. But…" He scratches his cheek, his brown eyes gazing at nothing in particular, "I still can't believe that you'll see one in the future…"

Leaf glares at him, "Blue!"

Hands raised, he tries to placate her, "Chill out, chill out! Alright… so you say there was a clear age difference between you and Red? Is that so weird? I mean, you're one year older than us."

"So what? You think one year will create such a gap in appearance between us?" She retorts, mildly irritated by his lack of consideration, "And you're clearly forgetting that I did saw him as an adult in my first vision!"

"But how can we explain that he's a teen while you were much older in this one?" He responds with a question, his tone implicating his own uncertainty. "It's like you're saying that Red somehow became younger."

"I… don't know…"

There is much to consider, she knows, but the lack of information is severely cutting any hypotheses she may have about them. Her visions haven't been helpful in the slightest, and they come at really random intervals, months separating them, thus making it difficult for her to get any valuable insight.

The ring announces the end of classes as Blue scratches his head, glancing at his other classmates already leaving the campus, "Let's just ask Orlando later. He may know something about this."

She nods again, "Yeah…"

* * *

There was a flash of light.

So bright, and yet so distant.

Leaf could easily tell it was the sun, bathing the surroundings in its warmth embrace. And as for her whereabouts, she seemed to be inside a park, acres of concrete interspersed with neat grass verges. Benches, ornamental trees and a large water fountain adorned the lively scenery.

* * *

Go to profile, **LISTEN**: Link in **RED**: **Chapter 01** Section: **Song 06**

* * *

And despite the beauty on her surroundings, a dark voice suddenly echoed, a clear contrast to the beautiful sight.

"You stole the respect _my _father should have for me…"

She blinked, following the source of the male voice as she spotted a tall, slender teen standing close to the fountain. His hair had a crimson color, and his face was unfamiliar, yet his angry expression and dark eyes gave her the impression that he was up to no good. He wore a high-collared navy coat with red trim, dark violet pants and navy shoes that matched the coat.

Leaf shook her head, and gave herself a glance, noticing that she was slightly older… like about two years older than her current self if her estimation was correct… She was in fact taller, and her measures were a clear indication that she had grown.

"You were the reason why he had to flee like a criminal!"

She was taken aback by the redhead's outburst, finally paying attention to the complete scene, noticing another boy in the park, receptor to those accusations.

'_Red…'_

He looked like a teen again, sporting his usual outfit, however, his gaze was sharp, barely noticeable under the visor of his cap. As per usual, he didn't show any reaction at all, and silently stared at him, both standing at one meter away from the other.

"C'mon, Silver-kun! Don't do it!"

A new voice came from Leaf's behind. A moment later, a short brunette with low brunch pigtails and matching eyes, gave several steps forward, coming to her complete view. She wore a red quarter-sleeved hoodie with a white hood over a black undershirt, blue overall shorts, knee socks and red shoes. Over hear head rested a big, white hat with a red ribbon tied around it to a bow.

"Stay out of this, Lyra!" The boy apparently addressed as **SILVER **growled at her angrily.

"Told you countless times you have no chance against him!" **LYRA**, as she was called, argued, waving an arm. "He's THE Red, idiot!"

Leaf caught quickly on her emphasis, suspecting that this future version of Red may have done something to earn reputation to some extent.

"I give a fuck!" Yelled Silver in response, startling her, and Leaf to some extent, "Not even he destroyed my life in Kanto, but even in Johto he…" Unexpectedly, his gaze wavered, settling on Leaf for a moment before his eyes were closed with a grit of his teeth. "You don't deserve Leaf, and even back then… you never did… yet she… yet she…"

Leaf was taken aback by his claims, realizing that whoever was this guy, she had a deep connection with him, or at least, they knew one another to some extent. More importantly however, was the fact about him being aware of her infatuation with that silent kantonian boy.

Lyra sighed, "You're just hurting yourself, and Leaf, too… You have to let this go, Silver."

"Like hell I will!" Roared Silver in indignation, "He took everything from me!"

Red grabbed the visor of his cap, and lifted it a bit, his dry gaze finally meeting Silver's without any hesitation, brown orbs so deep that it frightened her in a way she couldn't describe.

"…I don't even know who you are," To their surprise, Red finally spoke, his voice neutral, yet his stance somehow told Leaf that he was being cautious.

The redhead stared at him blankly for just a moment, and then released a loud laugh, filled with mockery and even amusement, one that clearly got in Leaf's nerves.

"Isn't that the best part!?" Silver said out loud, his voice leaking restrained anger, "You ruined my entire life without knowing it! It doesn't really matter now that I finally found you though. This is the chance to take back what you stole from me," His smile was now gone, replaced by a wicked smirk, "This is _my _chance to prove Leaf and everyone else that you're nothing but a fucking lie!"

Leaf was shocked to hear such a harsh claim from that boy, blaming Red as the cause of his misfortune, yet it mattered little to her in the view of a far worse revelation.

A revelation that had her apparently involved in these affairs, like a bone of contention, sparkling the clear enmity between them.

Silver unclipped an ultra ball from his belt, "I challenge you, Red! It's all or nothing!" He roared, throwing the ball with a spin, opening upon landing on the paved ground and releasing a large amount of light, fading almost instantly and leaving in its place a bulky, bipedal, crocodilian pokémon with blue, rough scales that shone with the sunlight.

Leaf knew that big and intimidating water-type creature was a **FERALIGATR**, capable of destroying anything that fell between his powerful jaws, its large fangs furthering its already fearsome might. It had three red spines over his head, back and by the end of its tail, and it's red eyes watched Red in a menacing way.

"…What's the bargain?" Red inquired curtly, raising his head.

Silver's smirk widened, becoming aggressive, "The loser gives a pokémon of the winner's choosing, and more importantly," He looked at Leaf intently, making her uncomfortable. "The loser will never get close to Leaf again." A cocky smile adorned his face, "Do you agree? Unless you're afraid of losing to me."

Red's features hardened as he planted a foot firmly, plucking a pokéball of his own, then extending the hand gripping it towards the challenger. Leaf couldn't help herself but become marveled at how cool his movements were, so strong and yet, so calculated.

"…There's no backing up," Warned Red darkly before shouting, "Go, Blastoise!"

The poké ball opened by his verbal command, releasing energy as his stance allowed the teen to maintain his balance despite the recoil.

Before him stood the mighty **BLASTOISE**, the water type known to have one of the strongest defense stats. Leaf watched wide-eyed at the two large pokémon, both ready for battle.

Silver narrowed his gaze in amusement, "Water against water?" His wicked smile widening, "You better don't underestimate me. I will crush you!"

"Hold on a minute!" Lyra waved her arms in disbelief, "You two are acting like children!" She turned to Leaf with a questioning look, "Aren't you going to do something, Leaf?" She pulls her by the arm, "If _you _don't do something, you will lose one of them!? Are you okay with that, Leaf? Leaf!?"

…

…

…

Leaf Green blinks, the light on her eyes returning, two familiar faces observing her with expectation and worry. She recalls then that she's in the ranch connected to Pallet Labs, where Professor Oak and their aids take care and study many types of pokémon on simulated habitats.

As of now, she, along Blue and his sister Daisy, are sat on a grassy field, playing with a group of tamed newborn grass-type pokémon, or that is what she was doing anyway until her vision hit her.

Blue watches her cautiously while Daisy looks concerned, and she immediately shakes her head and smiles at them, "Ups! Teehee! I think I got lost in my thoughts again!"

Her classmate raises a brow while Daisy seems relieved, the latter reaction what Leaf was aiming for. Daisy isn't aware of her particular abilities as much as everyone else, so it's a respite that she bought it.

The younger Oak, already knowing the truth about Leaf's nature, rolls his eyes as is usual since he probably finds ridiculous her particular way of diverting the attention from her previous trance-like state. Even after three years and a half since her second vision, he never had any restraint in bluntly opining about her 'bad' acting and her disability to quickly craft convincing responses on a short notice.

The worst of it all is that he's probably correct.

"Scared me for a moment there…" Daisy says after releasing a contained sigh, blinking twice when she spots a rattata running away from another group, "Hey, where do you think you're going?" Standing up, she gives chase until they are out of their sight.

Leaf grinned before turning to Blue with a more serious expression, "It happened again."

"Yep, that much is obvious," He says with a bored tone, not even caring to look at her, "What did you see this time?" She frowns, then puffs her cheeks before pinching his forearm, "Hey, what was that for!?"

"Don't be a jerk! You're acting like you don't care!" She folds her arms, displaying her irritated face, "Why would I tell you then?"

Blue rubs his cheek and rolls his eyes, "Damn, you're one lousy whiner. Fine, fine, I'm very curious about the vision."

"I don't believe you," She looks away from him to accentuate her irritation, finding the little bellsprout near her lap more interesting. "I bet this bellsprout here cares more about my vision than some dumb guy I know."

"Are we in some of those lame novels from TV now?" He rolls his eyes and rubs his temple, "Quit that over-dramatic act. Daisy isn't here so talk already."

"Alright…" She shrugs her shoulders before her eyes start to wander aimlessly around, images of her vision coming to her mind in rapid succession. She begins by what she recalls was the start of it, explaining the most important parts as she goes on.

Suffice to say, she was a bit reluctant about sharing the piece about her apparent connection to that boy called Silver during her explanation, but she still did anyway in case Blue may know or discover anything. Blue, of course, is quick to ask details about the pokémon those two summoned, but a glare -of her courtesy- is enough drag him back to the matter at hand.

They bounce some ideas for a couple of minutes, and since there's no sign of Daisy returning yet, Leaf decides to change the subject, although, still a bit related to her visions.

"Blue… I'm worried…" She says quietly, letting go of an oddish as it bounces towards others of its type, "These visions had only showed one bad thing after another."

"Wait, not all of them were bad, right?"

She shakes her head in negative, "They were all bad to me. Even if we're not at risk of physical harm, each one showed me things I don't like."

Blue put a hand under his chin, "Are you referring to other chicks getting close to Red?" She purses her lips, irritated by just recalling them, and he smiles awkwardly in response, "Alright, your face tells me everything."

"You don't understand…"

He frowns slightly, "Maybe not, but maybe you're exaggerating, I mean, even if you're seeing the future, it doesn't mean its definitive, right? It can change… you can change it. Those are just possible events of a faraway future, Leaf. We don't know if they will even happen."

"They will… I know it… And I'm going to lose him, Blue!" She growls out, standing to her feet with bailing fists, her voice near breaking, "Every vision had showed me that much! It's… it's like - like - they're preparing me to accept that he will go away from my reach! I-I can't Blue…"

She's doing her best to resist the urge of crying, but the sole thought of losing her most important person is heavy on her shoulders and mind. Her affection for him had never stopped growing, and she feels more attached to him than ever.

If she lost him, what would she do? She can't think clearly.

Silence comes as they stare at one another.

She had been reflecting for the past few weeks about her visions, what the showed, what they could possibly mean, and more importantly, what would she do when they occur, but time, and time again, her line of thought had ended in the same conclusion.

Maybe Red and her are not meant to be together.

"Seriously, it's annoying that I have to tell you what's so obvious…" Blue suddenly comments with a bland gaze before he becomes unexpectedly serious. "You don't get it do you?" He sighs wearily and glances at the distance, "Why don't you just think a bit and tell me what these visions have in common?"

She's taken aback a bit, "In common? I don't unders-"

"Just think carefully and answer," He cuts her off, but for some reason she doesn't find that annoying.

Leaf reflects for some minutes, before using her psychic abilities to gather her memories as she tries to find the possible correlation between her visions. Several minutes of inner reflection and memory-revising makes her reach one and only conclusion, no matter how much she thought about it.

"Red… he's always there…" She responds softly.

Blue smiles, "And what does that tell you?"

"It tells me that I'm going to lose him sooner or later…" Her response comes out as as soft whisper, and Blue cocks an eyebrow, looking at her in disbelief.

"Really? That's what you got?" He facepalms, and grunts, "You're really dense, aren't you?"

"Sorry… I can't really think clearly… I feel a little overwhelmed after the last vision…" She drops her shoulders in defeat, "I… just don't know, Blue. Maybe I should come to terms with it already and just let the future catch up to us."

Some seconds of silence follow, interrupted when he speaks again, "Are you finished with that defeatist behaviour?"

Leaf rests a hand on her chest and breathes deeply, "Okay…"

"You seriously don't see it?" He asks in disbelief.

She shakes her head, "No…"

"Well, all I can say for certain is that you won't be losing Red or whatever anytime soon… nor even in a distant future," He relaxes over the grass, resting his back on the ground.

"Blue, the last thing I need is your attempt to make me feel better," She purses her lips and looks weakly at the blue sunny sky, her skin warming with the summer breeze.

"That's not it, Leaf," Blue scratches the back of his head, "Listen. We know you have seen the future in each one of your visions, and most of them showed you being a different age, right? Older, no?"

She nods, slightly confused, "Yeah… so what?"

"Red was present in every vision, or at least, was mentioned to be around," He elaborates, but Leaf doesn't get where he's going at… yet, "So were you since you're the one seeing what your future self will see, right?"

Leaf nods her head slowly again, when it suddenly hit her, eyes widening in realization, "You mean…?"

Blue smirks knowingly, "Just what you're thinking. Unlike the unknown people you saw in those visions, you're a constant, not-changing element in his life. At least we know that you'll be with him until you two are adults."

"Yeah…" She mutters, a smile crawling to her face, "You're right…"

"See, drama queen?" He pats her shoulder, "So over dramatic and the answer to that dumb fear of yours was there all the time."

It made so much sense. Each vision had shown them to be together, and while Leaf was still bothered by the girls apparently interested in future Red, the fact that she was there meant that she would be able to do something about them when the time came.

A ray of light shines brightly through the endless darkness that is her future.

How stupid of her to ignore something that evident, and funnily enough, how sweet of Blue to make her realize it.

"Thanks Blue… You always help me, even when I'm a bitch to you," She says apologetically and assaults him with a tight hug, "Never stop being my friend, please!"

Blue stumbles back but manages to regain his footing, startled by her sudden display of affection. It takes him a few seconds to react, and not in the way she has expected.

"Hey, don't get sticky on me and save that for him, would you," He tries pushing her away, looking disgusted, but Leaf doesn't budge, "Let go, you idiot!"

"Nooo, I wanna huuuuugggg my cute friend sooooo muuuuch!"

"Who the hell is cute!? Quit it already, Leaf!"

* * *

There were flashes of light, and yet there was also darkness.

It was a combination of the two.

It was night… a cloudy night, a rainy night.

A stormy night.

Leaf was standing in what it seemed, a large parking lot with very few empty vehicles in the vicinity. The raindrops fell incessantly over the cemented ground like they couldn't think of something better to do, the sound of an endless percussion accompanying them.

Each droplet splattered over every vehicle, her and now that she focused on her surroundings, over four shadows in the distance. She felt a chill go down her spine in that very moment, scared of the multiple unknowns surrounding her.

* * *

Go to profile, **LISTEN**: Link in **RED**: **Chapter 01** Section: **Song 07**

* * *

Two of them were clearly human, which she couldn't identify from her position. They were too far away, the lack of a good source of light and the rain obtaculizing her sight. She felt like giving a step towards them, yet an overwhelming sense of dread stopped her in an instant, her emotions whirling uncontrollably, intense fear driving her instincts into a one possible course of action.

Get away from them.

Yet her muscles were completely paralyzed.

The larger forms were pokémon by all means, only confirmed by a sudden fleeting illumination, which came in the wild form of a distant lightning. Many more lashed around the dark sky after that, a storm rapidly brewing, Leaf finally managing to see the true nature of pokémon before her.

One was the pokémon she saw in her very first vision alongside the adult form of Red, who started to levitate as a purple ball of ethereal light began to form between its three digit hands.

'_That pokèmon again?'_

The other wasn't like anything she had seen before.

As the first one, it was bipedal, however it had no feet, and its arms were two tentacles that intertwined at many points. Its orange body had a purple gem-like sphere in the chest, and it's abdomen was black.

It took another lightning for Leaf to see its frightening alien face, which had a darker color than the rest of its body, had a vertical stripe that separated its two, fearsome eyes.

Whatever pokémon it was, it levitated in a very odd way as it unleashed several rays of light, which Leaf could tell were hyper beams.

A pulse pushed her away as all beams crashed with an invisible barrier, protecting the other pokémon. The feline-headed creature took no time in retaliating with a ghostly ball of energy, teleporting just before it to release it onto its enemy.

Leaf blinked several times, wondering if she saw right when the alien-kin pokémon transformed its body, now looking bulky as its head now seemed to be fused with the rest of its body. It's tentacles, now flat and broad, created a circular barrier of its own, preventing the shadow ball from hitting it.

Both pokémon were blasted away before crashing again and again, moving at blinking speed through the stormy sky. Quick steps splashed the wet ground as the two persons, now closer, ran to catch up with their apparent pokémon.

Leaf distinguished a cap on one of them, which confirmed that it was Red since she could recall that pokémon with feline traits obeying him in the first vision. The other trainer run past her, allowing her to get a short, but more detailed view of him.

He sported a white and black beanie, a skin-tight red and black t-shirt, a black and dark grey slim fit knee length shorts, and on his left arm some sort of bracelet. He completely ignored her, only focusing on the battle.

As he got away, he suddenly shouted, "Deoxys, extreme speed!"

To her shock, **DEOXYS **transforms its body again, looking thinner as its orange skin seems to cover less parts of its body. It is then that it began to move at unfathomable speed against its foe.

Leaf's legs began to tremble, the sole act of breathing becoming harder when she finally notices it. It was as if an invisible force applied some sort of pressure on her body, on her mind… she couldn't think clearly or react accordingly. She fell on her knees, trying to put herself together, to no avail.

Up in the sky, waves of energy explode, the two unknown creatures crashing incessantly, rain being dispelled from their area of battle. She hugged herself in a desperate attempt to focus, but she couldn't and only let her body fall on the wet ground beneath her, all strength and willpower gone dry.

The last thing she saw was some splashes of water, most likely someone approaching her with haste, before consciousness abandoned her.

…

…

…

"_Will you ever do anything?"_

…

…

"_Can you ever do anything?"_

…

"_Nothing will change if you don't."_

…

"_Good feelings are not enough. Hoping and wishing for dreams to come true is not enough."_

…

"_Watchers change nothing."_

…

…

"_Only those strong enough will. Red will for certain… but what about you?"_

…

…

…

A fifteen-year old Leaf Green stares blankly at the TV of the living room in her house, sat in a large sofa. As she blinks -her mind re-merging with the current reality- she takes notice of the program currently on the TV, which goes about the drama between two known pokémon coordinators that used to be a famous pair. She pays it no mind of course, given the current circumstances.

Wiping some tears before they fall, Leaf releases a sigh and bites her lips in disappointment. It had been a long time since her last unwanted vision, and she thought that having mastered her psychics abilities to the current degree would have been enough to control her distant precognition, but alas, it seemed that Rolando was correct after all.

"Red was battling somebody…" She says to herself, resting a hand on her chest. "But who?"

She didn't manage to get a clear view of Red, so there is no telling how old he was, nor she checked herself to get a good indicator of her own age due to the overwhelming circumstances. It all happened too fast, and the pressure, which was most likely generated by a pokëmon, didn't allow her to do anything.

Four years have passed since she enrolled in the Pokémon Academy, just when the first vision came, and yet, time and time again, her visions had proven how useless she is, or will be, having no power nor will to see things through.

It made her feel powerless and fearful, and above it all, disappointed in herself.

Awareness of the future is a terrible thing, much more when it foretells about her inability to be useful for whatever reason. Why should she even try to move forward then? For all Leaf knows, she'll only be a nuisance to her friends, a useless baggage to carry…

Their graduation from the academy was just yesterday, her trainer license officially approved for her to finally depart on the journey, and yet, she can't bring herself to decide what her path will be from now on.

Despite all her preparations, all the knowledge she gained over the last four years, her latest vision came as a clear reminder that she won't ever be helpful to Red if she decides to come along with him, that much her precognition had implied.

And despite that, her selfishness keeps getting in the way, the thought of never seeing him and her friends stabs her heart so cruelly, that is impossible to just let them go.

She can't.

What could she possibly do?

A vibration at her side calls her attention, her phone letting out a catchy ringtone. She shakes her head, wiping away her inner worries for the time being and picks it up.

The call was from Blue Oak.

"Blue?"

"Put on channel 23!" He shouts over the phone, making her flinch, "The second Pokemon Sports channel of Kanto!"

"W-what!?" She blinks, startled by his request. "What's on that channel?"

"You mentioned someone called Sabrina in one of your visions, right?" He asks and Leaf doesn't know how to react, so she keeps her mouth shut and lets him continue. "A girl that is supposedly a gym leader in the future?"

She wishes she could give a negative reply, but she hasn't forgotten that vision in the slightest. She recalls with irritation the closeness that palid girl had with Red, and certainly, how she was addressed as a gym leader.

"I do, but why're you bringing this up?" She picks the remote control with her free hand, "You're not saying that…"

"Why don't you see for yourself? This girl has just challenged Saffron 's gym leader Koichi!" He states with excitement, "For the description you gave about her, I dare say that girl could possibly be who you saw in that vision."

Looking at the remote control lying on the ground, she quickly focuses and picks it up using **Telekinesis**, the small device floating towards her hand. She then taps the number 23 as the screen changes to the view of **Saffron City**'s main Stadium.

The amount of people congregated is incredible, but more importantly is the current match being held, as the psychic pokémon known as **Hypno **is apparently making short work of a large **Machoke**, not a surprise though considering the type advantage.

As known by every pokémon trainer, there are different types of pokemon, based on their attribute, with advantages, disadvantages, low effects against others and the like.

Up to this day, 18 types have been discovered. Depending on the type, the physical properties of pokémon and their moves change accordingly.

A move has exactly one type. The type of a damaging move typically defines which types of Pokémon it is super effective against, which types of Pokémon it is not very effective against, and which types of Pokémon it is completely ineffective against.

For example, in the current match, the hypno, which is a psychic-type, holds the type advantage against the fighting-type machoke. This means that every psychic move used against it would be super effective, hence, more damaging.

Many studies have been made across the years to successfully determine the type advantages between the pokémon of specific types, as well as with the changes that came when pokémon had two types, which changed their weaknesses and resistances completely.

Thankfully, the academy had provided an useful **Type Matchup Chart** that effectively displayed with numerical values every modifier applied to type moves used against every type of pokémon.

"Hey Leaf! It's her or not?"

Leaf blinks in surprise, recalling that she's supposed to be seeing the challenging trainer. She presses a button on the remote control to change the camera until the screen is directly showing the platform where the girl is standing.

Her eyes narrow, recognizing the calm and pallid face of the girl. Just as Blue suggested, it's the girl she saw in her vision.

"It is…" She replies, focusing on the screen.

"Told ya. She's winning, but I guess that's obvious as she holds the type advantage," Leaf raises a brow as he makes a "tch" sound, "Meh… we already know she'll get the gym position."

Leaf blinks, "So the challenge is for leadership, then? She wants to take over Saffron Gym?"

One of the ultimate goals for a pokémon trainer is to defeat a region's **Gym Leaders**, get the **8 Badges**, face the **Elite Four** in order to challenge the current **Champion**.

However, not all trainers focus on obtaining the title of champion, instead, choosing to either join a Gym, or to become a Gym leader. The nature of a challenge can be established in three different types.

Membership.

Championship.

Leadership.

So according to what Blue just said, that girl Sabrina had challenged Gym leader **Koichi** for leadership, which means he would be using his best team to not lose his position.

Honestly, Leaf doesn't really care if she wins, but this is the opportunity she has been waiting for to confirm if her visions are correct.

"Well, it's boring to watch a match when you know who's gonna win," Blue comments, yet his excited tone betrays his words, which Leaf chooses not to comment about.

"We don't know for sure. Orlando said there are many visions that never occur, so maybe mine are inaccurate, too."

"Why do you sound so hopeful?" He asks snarkily, but Leaf doesn't respond. "In any case, Sabrina's not just challenging him for leadership, but she also wants to change the type of Saffron Gym to psychic."

She doesn't expect that revelation, "Wow… really?"

"Yep."

She recalls that the type used in Saffron Gym was 'fighting', "Can she do that?"

Blue makes a humming sound, "Well, I think that if someone has the support of at least five gym leaders, she can do it. I've been following her in FameChecker for a while, and well, she seems to have plenty of connections already. She's exceedingly popular… despite being a psychic."

Her eyes shoot wide open, her legs moving on her own as Leaf snapped on her feet, "What? She's a psychic like me?"

"Yeah… and for what I heard, her mastery on psychic abilities go on hand with her ability to create powerful mental connections with her pokémon. Some people say that she can even use levitation, but who knows?"

This is worse than she had expected. Not only her possible future rival will become close to Red, but she happens to be a seasoned psychic, which will give her power over him if she decides to use her abilities on him. She can't let that happen.

"Blue… I'll call you again when the match is over."

"Alright? Just don't overthink stuff, like you always do."

"Sure, Blue. Talk to you later."

"Laters."

She ends the call, her gaze down as the only sound within the room is the one coming from her TV. She shakes her head to remove the crawling insecurities from her mind.

She didn't like pokémon battling much as seeing pokémon get hurt for sport was a big no-no for her, yet these always had provided vital knowledge for those who will embark on the journey, so she couldn't disregard them completely. It was kind of ironic.

Leaf watches closely the event, Sabrinna crushing every Pokémon with the exception of Koichi's **HERACROSS**. The bug/fighting type negated the effectiveness of psychic moves as bug pokémon were resistant to them, however, Sabrina saw it coming and used a **VENOMOTH **to effectively defeat it with flying type moves.

Leaf is no expert when it comes to those battles, but she could see Sabrina's expertise as a trainer, choosing the right moves, giving the proper commands and summoning and changing pokémon to ensure her victory. Even if leader Koichi used TM moves to gain leverage against her psychic pokémon, her strategy worked exceedingly well.

Even if Leaf didn't want it to happen, Sabrina had won.

Now that she thinks about it, the fact that she's so bad at establishing a mental connection with her pokémon makes her irritated beyond measure since that girl Sabrina apparently does well. Giving mental commands to pokémon indeed seems to be an advantage.

In any case, it seems her vision was accurate after all.

"Leaf?" She turns to see her mother, peeping at her from the kitchen, "Is something wrong, dear?"

She waves her hands quickly, smiling, "No worries. It's… just that I watched a pokémon battle, so you know how those things make me feel…"

She narrows her gaze, "Are you sure?" Her mother steps into the living room, "Is it about Red's condition?"

Her eyes widen, and Leaf can't help but drop her gaze, bitterly recalling what Professor Oak had revealed to her some time ago. "Ah… maybe a bit…"

She hugs her, and Leaf returns it five times stronger, "Dear… you know that as long as he takes his pills, he'll be fine, right?"

'_Will he…?'_

"I know… thanks mom."

She smiles kindly, "Alright. Now head off to sleep, dear. Your group will be going to professor Oak's lab early tomorrow, no?"

"Yes! We'll be getting our first pokémon!" She grins, "Can't wait!"

"I'm sure!"

"But," Leaf started blushing a bit. "I'm meeting Red before that…" Her mother looks surprised for a moment, but then nods in understanding, "We made a promise to see each other before getting our first pokémon."

"That's sweet."

Her blush deepens, "You think?"

"Indeed my sweetheart."

* * *

Leaf Green stares at herself from the mirror, having already showered, taken breakfast and dressed for the day.

She's wearing a sleeveless light-blue shirt with a bit of black, matching wristbands, a short pinkish-red skirt with loose light-blue socks and white shoes with a pinkish-red stripe in the middle. A white bucket hat with a pinkish-red Poké Ball logo rest on her head, and a bright yellow messenger bag hangs from her shoulder.

She's technically ready, but honestly, she doesn't feel like it so much.

Leaf looks at her phone. It's 4:26 in the morning, and she's supposed to be at Pallet Labs at seven o'clock. She smiles to herself, a tint of nervousness on her face as she's mentally preparing for the day. First however, she'll be meeting Red near the northern outskirts of Pallet Town, in the place where they spoke to one another for the first time.

'_You can do this, Leaf.'_

She nods to herself and leaves her room, her previous doubts gone for now.

Down on the living room, her parents are taking breakfast, her mother's **SNUBBULL **sleeping soundly by the carpeted entrance. She could still remember how the canine pokémon was formerly considered a normal type until recent studies proved that it was actually a fairy-type. They said that its just discovered high affinity to learning fairy moves via TMs proved it's true nature as a fairy type, or something like that.

**Technical Machines**, **TM **for short, are compact disks that contain data about a particular studied pokémon move. Using a **TM Case**, one can use TMs to alter slightly the genes of certain pokémon from within their pokéballs, in order to teach them a type move they couldn't learn on their own, even if the type move doesn't correspond to the type of pokémon, with a large list of exceptions.

Only a certain amount of moves had been able to be converted to TMs, and not every pokémon can use or replicate them given that the alterations made to the genetic data of captured pokémon is kept to a minimum to ensure no damage or abnormality is brought upon them.

For instance, pokémon that have the same type as the one of the TM hold a higher affinity to learn them, which was the case of the recent discoveries about the nature of snubbulls and their evolution. Those that weren't the same type had to be physically capable of replicating them, having the necessary organs to pull them off and such.

There were many cases though when certain types of pokémon learned moves that even TMs couldn't teach, but such were cases where pokémon breeding was involved since pokémon can inherit moves from their parents.

It's certainly a complicated matter, and the last thing Leaf needs is overworking her brain so early in the morning.

She hugs her dad tightly, "Wish me luck!"

"Just remember to pick the pokémon you want," Her father Dom says with a wide grin, "Don't let anyone decide for you."

"Will do!" She nods cheerfully.

Her mother hugs her too, "Go get them them, Leaf! And don't use your powers on other people, alright?"

It had been some months since she revealed her psychics abilities to her parents and Professor Oak, lifting a heavy weight off her shoulders, and while her mother had been really mad at her for hiding it for three years, she forgave her after a week, much to Leaf's relief.

She found real consolation when they -professor included- accepted her nature without any dubious thought. She had been terribly afraid of the outcome but thankfully, they were accepting and considerate.

Leaf still had yet to tell Red about it though. She just couldn't find the opportunity to tell him, or maybe she just couldn't find the courage. In her honest opinion, it was probably the latter.

But she had made up her mind in the morning.

She will tell Red when they meet, and hope for the best.

"I'm going then!"

Her father's face becomes sharp, "I hope Red behaves… properly, or I'll make him the next meal of my Mightyena. You're my little Kirlia still!"

Her cheeks gain a reddish color, "I-I know! But Red's a gentleman…"

"That he is," Agrees Diana with a smirk, pouring more coffee for her husband. "She's in good hands, Dom."

Her bulky father doesn't seem at all convinced, and yet he relents, "Right, right."

* * *

"_The coolness of an early morning is its own reward!"_

That's what my father had said the first time he took me for a very early patrol in **VIEN FOREST**, a natural maze located north of **VIENTOWN** in the region of Almia. I remember I was just 6 years old then, and as expected, I didn't understand him at all.

Honestly speaking, I kinda dislike the cold, and early mornings were usually accompanied by low temperatures. I guess I just failed to see what was there to like about them.

And so years passed… and I still don't understand it.

It's now worse, the cold that is, as I'm approaching the beach located south of the town. I guess it can't be helped, someone very special to me is waiting, so I'll just endure… Many days like these are about to come since I'll be starting my journey anyway. Just get used to it, Leaf.

The mountains are silhouettes against a slightly dark sky and the air already smells of the ocean. There is no drone of cars, or the hiss as they move over the streets; there is only the distant cry of the **WINGULLS **as they call for the fishing boats to come in.

Following a road of hard-packed dirt, I finally reach a sign, almost shadowed by nature, old as the trunks around here. This of course indicates that I'm very close to Pallet's only beach… the sound of the splashing waves merging with the chirping of pidgeys hiding in the tall trees.

Instead of walking down the path to the beach, I turn left and push some bushes, spotting yet another sign, yet this one looked well-maintained and only showed a childish draw of a rattata. I can't help but stare at it, many memories swirling in my mind, both good and bad.

I shake my head, feeling some sort of pressure on my chest, nothing like that terrible sensation from my visions, but something far less scary, and yet, still painful. This is the sign that Red had put five years ago as a reminder of our meeting, the very place where I found a small rattata nest, and where my life almost came to an end if not for his intervention.

Blue's comments about me only crying because of a simple bite from one of the rodents had been a heavy understatement. While it's true that I got bit, a rattata broke my leg by sheer force alone, one of the worst pains I ever experienced. However, should Red hadn't appeared when he did, fending them off with a wooden stick, and get bit far more times than I remembered, I would have winded up dead for sure.

He didn't cry that time despite the grave injuries he sustained for protecting me, and while I thought he didn't just because people said that he was normally unemotional, that one time, he lifted me up with such care and smiled with such kindness…

As a stranger to him during that time, he shouldn't have cared, but for my sake, he did.

I don't think I've ever felt so safe in my entire life when he carried me.

Was it cliché? Like those shows from T.V.?

For me it wasn't, because the boy everyone said had no feelings showed them to me like no one ever had. I simply couldn't forget his embrace, his smile…

Maybe it was clichè after all…

Of course, I tried over the years for him to open up to me after that day, I wanted to feel his pure and selfless kindness again… but every attempt ended in failure. Reading his thoughts also resulted in an impossible task as time passed due to his unique condition, and the times I managed to do it, I only sensed emptiness within him.

It wasn't like that before… He used to smile more often, which was still on rare occasions, but I saw him doing it once in a while… but now…

He was changing, and not for the good.

So, in reality, while I felt so much appreciation for him, we never had a strong connection, or talked that much. Only Blue managed to get him out of his house, pushing him to interact with his other friends, which Red barely did.

Maybe the friendship we had was one-sided… maybe I deluded myself into thinking that Red considered me a friend. He saved me that day, he smiled at me, but it didn't mean he felt the same as me, or if he ever developed any sort of affection towards me.

And now, I'm clinging to my visions since they showed that I would be with him in the future.

Maybe I'm being hypocritical now?

I told Blue some time ago that I didn't want my visions to be true, since many dangers and… vixens… would stand between Red and me, but now… my visions are the only thing that gives me the hope that I'll ever become closer to to him…

I'm such a mess…

It's so hard to determine anything for certain about him despite that he's considered some sort of small celebrity in Pallet Town. There are many rumors about him. Some say he was born with numb senses, while others mentioned that it was all because of the unknown psychological syndrome he developed, which had no definitive treatment.

Others said that he became unsociable due to having no living father, leading him to develop some sort of trauma over the years…

Blue said every rumor had some bit of truth to it, much to my surprise, and while I pressured him into telling me anything he knew about him, that idiotic code _males _apparently have stopped him every time.

I couldn't grasp why would Blue do so, I mean, I'm trying to get him to open up, not just because of my own interests, but also because I want to help him get out of that shell that keeps him away from almost everybody.

I expected Blue to give me a hand in this matter, but…

Just stop it, Leaf. I'll just continue to work with what I have. I at least managed to get Red to meet me before heading to get our very first pokémon.

* * *

Go to profile, **LISTEN**: Link in **RED**: **Chapter 01** Section: **Song 08**

* * *

I takes me some minutes to finally reach the meeting place, which is an amazing crag that sits right on the ocean's edge and features a beautiful sight of the beach. The sound of the splashing, distant waves are far more consistent, and many wingulls, which are a water/flying type, avian pokémon, soar over the shores as if they owned them, in search for any possible prey to feed on. They cry and make their inverted arcs, hungry, tenacious.

I stand by the very edge, closing my eyes as I let the salty breeze fill my nostrils. I shiver a bit due to the cold, but I still try to focus on the sounds of the ocean. It's so relaxing…

"…Leaf."

My eyes shot wide open, my back so rigid that I felt that I would break in half at the tiniest movement. I breathe slowly, resting a hand over my chest to calm my nerves. I don't want to look like a stuttering wreck after _I _told him to come here.

It takes me but a few seconds to get my bearings, before finally turning to him. I lean my head to the side and raise a hand, smiling to seem casual.

"Hey, Red. Took you for the early type, but it seems that I came first."

'_Seriously, Leaf!? That's the first thing you say to him!? Couldn't you just greet him?'_

I look at him closely. Red wore one of the caps of his deceased father, a sleeveless jacket with a white collar and middle vertical stripe, a black undershirt, baggy blue jeans and running shoes.

'_Didn't he use the same in most of my visions?'_

"…I actually arrived half an hour ago," He says drily and I blink in surprise.

"Y-yeah?" I put my hands behind me, intertwined with one another, "That's odd… didn't see you when I came."

He walks towards me, standing at my side. I observe him a bit more… I think this is the closest I've been to him in the last few months.

It's funny, I used to be taller than him. I guess Red hit his growth spurt last year, just like Blue did. Also, his pale-brown hair seems somehow darker, if that's possible… I remember clearly it was lighter of color when I met him 4 years ago…

Am I overthinking it…?

"…I decided to scout the area," He says, his pale eyes on the ocean.

"Oh yeah, good idea," I grin, stepping around him. "We wouldn't want another incident with a nest, hehe."

He nods at me curtly, and I feel my laugh fading slowly as silence settles in. I guess he didn't catch my joke about what happened to us some years ago.

A whole minute pass, awkwardness filling me up as words start to slip out of my mind for no apparent reason.

'_Oh Red, please throw me a bone before I make a fool out of myself!'_

"…Look."

I blink as he sits on the ground, his legs crossed in an x. I gaze in the same direction as I sit too, just noticing the faint crimson colors in the distant horizon.

The sun is rising as a canopy of gold, bright amid the blue, bidding the stars to take their nightly rest. As darkness surrenders, every colour changes from tinges of charcoal to a vibrancy. It's without a doubt a beautiful scenery to behold.

My gaze drifts towards him for a moment. His locks of brown hair coming out under his cap are being swayed by a gentle breeze as he silently observes the dawn. I bite my lower lip, wanting to say something but ultimately failing.

"…It looks red," He says softly, his eyes unblinking.

I follow his gaze, and grin, "Yeah… like your name." He glances at me for a moment, making my heart skip a beat. Then he nods his head, and I add, "Do you like it?"

He nods his head again, "…Yeah."

This is the moment I've been waiting for after all these years. I'm not ready to voice a confession if I'm to be honest, but maybe I can… lead him to notice how much I appreciate him…?

"I like it, too. It's my favorite color, you know?" I state cheerfully, and I can feel my cheeks warming, but I decide not to make a big deal of it. There's no reaction from him however, so I decide to… elaborate, "And you, Red, are my favorite person."

His face still looks as emotionless as ever, even after my bold statement. I unconsciously grip tightly my skirt, fighting my embarrassment and cursing internally my unexpected audacity. That was no lead at all! I may have just…

"…I thought Blue was your favorite person."

"What? No! He's just a close friend of mine!" I scratch my cheek nervously, my mind desperately searching for a convincing reply. Why am I even trying to find an excuse? I mean, we're not a thing… yet… if ever… "He's like a brother to me…"

Red nods his head and returns his attention to the rising sun, "…I'm also like a brother to you then."

My eyes widened at his conclusion. I can't let that be.

"Red… you are more than just a brother to me…" I whisper, refusing to look him in the eye.

I don't know if its his intention, but I feel that… he's pushing me away…

Is it that usual shell of his? That personality he has developed over the years that keeps everyone at bay? To not let anyone close?

"…Why?" He suddenly asks.

"Eh? W-why what?"

"…Why do you feel like that about me?"

I feel tension building up within me at a fast rate, his dry eyes now boring into me as he waits for my answer. The problem is… I can't give a proper one…

He saved me that day, and I think he understood that I owned him for it, which is why he told me back then that anyone else would have done the same. I refused to accept it of course, and kept trying to be helpful, yet it was to no avail.

I know deep inside that he never expected anything from me despite risking his life for my well-being. Dad and mom truly held him in high regard, but even they said that I was forcing myself to be part of his life.

Responding that I appreciate him for saving my life so many years ago might not be enough anymore, after all, he did make clear over the years that I owned him nothing.

Then what was I supposed to say?

Was he saving me the only reason why I considered him special?

No… that wasn't the only reason…

I turn to him, mustering all my courage to speak, "Do… you remember how we first met?" He gazes at me, and nods his head after a moment, "I was very scared that time… and desperately prayed to the gods to send help."

"I see…" He looks away, his eyes shutting, "We actually met before that."

"Eh?" I blink, shocked at the unexpected revelation. "W-what are you talking about, Red? That was the first time we saw each other."

He shook his head, "…We met the very first day you came to Pallet Town."

The cry of the wingulls becomes far more distant, my awareness to my surroundings diminishing as I find myself reflecting on such a statement. There was no way I could've forgotten…

My head begins to hurt and I wince in pain, my body trembling as multiple images assault my mind relentlessly. I try to suppress the pain using my abilities, to no avail. These lost memories keep coming, shaking my focus entirely.

Oh… oh no…

* * *

Go to profile, **SEE**: Link in **RED**: **Chapter 01** Section: **Picture 02**

* * *

I… I remember it all now…

I… I was born in Almia, and lived my first years there with my family. My dad was a respected top ranger, and everyone in the region loved him for his countless deeds to protect pokémon and their habitats. He was a hero, I admired him…

And despite being terribly shy back then, he inspired me to overcome my fears.

And so, I managed to make many friends.

I had changed.

I was happy with my life, with my family, friends and where I lived.

Everyone in the regions of Fiore, Almia and Oblivia shared the same beliefs, we loved pokémon and we protected them. Catching pokémon was prohibited, and I learnt to appreciate the efforts of Fiore's scientists, who managed to develop technology in order to make wild pokémon friendly to people and other pokémon without compromising their wild nature and freewill.

Thus the **Capture Stylers **were created.

However, the higher ups within the Ranger Union decided to transfer my dad to the region of Kanto, where **Styler Rangers **or S-Rangers were few. It was either my dad Dom moving alone, or with us. Of course, he chose the latter.

I became depressed when we left Almia days later, starting to miss the people I knew, my friends… everybody… and arriving in Kanto, more exactly, Pallet Town, didn't change my mood in the slightest despite the peaceful scenery.

It's all so clear to me now. I remember like it happened yesterday, my first day in Kanto…

I remember making a scene about how much I missed Almia and disliked Kanto, and I ended up grounded for yelling at my mother during my complaints. As a rebellious child of course, I decided to flee from my house, and I ended in a park.

I was really depressed…

And then, someone approached me while I was sat in a swing. I didn't care to look who it was, but I noticed a pikachu draw in the dirt, made by a stick. I can remember it now, so vividly…

And the person who did the draw was Red himself. I remember I was taken by surprise since it was the first time seeing his intimidating gaze, something unusual on someone his age. Now that I think about it, I was scared so I ran away from him.

I… ran away from Red.

I felt so bad then… I mean, he tried to cheer me up with that draw and all I did was flee like he was some sort of monster… so I returned… yeah, I returned… and found him resting on the grass so peacefully. I couldn't deny that he picked up my interest. He was actually the first boy of my age I met in Kanto, and he seemed… particularly different.

I sat at his side, and despite the proximity, he didn't wake up. I'm not sure but I think I just observed him long enough for him to realize someone was close. He did look surprised when he finally noticed me sitting right next to him, his pale eyes wide for a moment.

And that was the first time we talked.

He said I looked sad, which is why he made a drawing of a Pikachu, which are very popular pokémon, not to mention cute. He apparently thought that would cheer me up… so considerate…

All of a sudden, more images invade my mind, events that occurred some hours later in that same day.

It was red… all was red… what's going on…?

There was a medium sized bulky pokémon. It's hide was purple, and it had a horn in the middle of its head. It was a **NIDOKING **now that I see it more thoughtfully… and there were stains of red on its head and claws…

Wait… wait… what the hell is this…?

There was a person lying on the ground… covered in red… in red… blood… everywhere…

There was a hole in its body.

No… this was the time when a sole Nidoking rampaged across Pallet Town… Yes… I remember it now… three people died… a boy among the victims… it was horrible…

And I… I… I saw upfront how the poison type pokémon killed savagely a man that tried to protect me when it stormed into the market where I was in. I could only watch in horror…

Why… Why did I forget this…? How could I completely forget something like this.

Don't tell me… is it because of my psychic powers?

Rolando explained that most psychics tend to manipulate their own memories in order to keep traumatic events from causing psychological damage, creating some sort of mental partition to keep certain memories locked from the mind. Sometimes this happens without control as some sort of auto-defense mechanism to keep a mind from shattering due to the trauma.

It would explain why I had forgotten the events of my first day in Pallet Town.

These traumatic events possibly caused my dormant powers to act on their own, isolating those horrible memories so my sanity wasn't compromised. It was amazing on its own, but…

I remember it now… I feel dread and pity just thinking about the victims of that terrible incident, but… I think I can manage to keep myself steady. I have learned during the survival-themed classes on the academy how crude the world of pokémon can be, so I guess that's why those awful memories don't shake my mind like they would have some years ago.

Or maybe it hasn't hit me like it should have been…

The partition was no more, so I now recall it all.

"So… you were… you were the boy that approached me in that park… when I was depressed…"

Red nods his head and I feel my heart pumping fast. He's far more special to me than I anticipated… Holy Arceus… I'm overwhelmed…

"…Did you have your psychics power back then?" He suddenly asks and my blood becomes cold from the shock.

"Y-you k-know of them?" I can't help but stutter, nervous at the outcome of this conversation.

He nods his head, yet says nothing. I'm not even sure if I should ask how he discovered my powers… His question though, implies that he wants to confirm it in order to… act based on what I respond to. Maybe… he dislikes psychics… oh no…

"Since when…" I inquire, but I can't no longer look him in the eye.

"…Two years ago…" He replied curtly and I tense, biting my lips so hard that I felt I'm going to break them, "When you approached me in the cafeteria, you sensed I was angry and asked me about it. That's how I knew."

"B-but… anyone could h-have—"

"…No… We were never close for you to notice," I stare at him in shock, hurt and fearing he would reject me, "…I know you still think that you own me, but—"

"Shut up…" Red blinked, closing his mouth at my sudden words. I couldn't let him continue, "Just shut up…"

Silence comes, and I felt like crying already, unable to lift my head, unable to look at him. It hurt so much that he still thought I owned him for that. In a way, yes I did own him, but all that was a thing of the past for me. All I wanted was to get to know him better, to be the receiver of the kindness he showed to me that one time.

But I failed… I failed miserably…

"Red," I begin after a moment, "I want to know you better…" I look him in the eye, tired of being nice to him. I had to wonder what kind of expression I had to be making for him to show an actual facial expression. His eyes widen, if only a little, his mouth also opening slightly.

"…Because I saved you?"

I shook my head, "No, Red… I want to be your friend… I'm… curious about you…"

Red stares at me before, and with his eyes closed, he says, "…I see…"

Instead of saying anything else, we both bask in the beautiful sight that is the dawn of a new day. I press a hand against my chest, sensing how fast my heart was beating… and when I finally gain the courage to speak, he does first.

"…The reddish color… it's beautiful, isn't it?"

I blink twice, noticing the faintest sigh of a smile on his face.

"Yeah…" I respond with a whisper, shutting my eyes close for a moment to calm myself down, before speaking again, "I… I would love to keep seeing the dawn like this… even if it's from other places…" I smile at him, and grab his hand, "As long as we see it… together…" Our gazes meet, and so I add, "What do you think, Red…?"

I wait expectantly for what seems an endless minute, when he finally responds.

"…Yeah."

* * *

"What the heck are you guys doing all the way here?"

Blue Oak asks, and I shrug my shoulders in response.

"We just wanted to see the dawn from the beach!" I responded cheerfully, winking at him. "It was beautiful, you know?"

He rolls his eyes, as if finding my response hard to believe. He apparently went to Red's house to wake him up for today's important event for us, only to be told that he left early to meet with me at the beach. We ran into him by a path hidden by nature.

"Are you serious? Since when do you two hang out like that?" He asks aloud, folding his arms, "And from all the days you could have done so, you do it when we're receiving our first pokémon!?"

I grasp his arm and pull him around playfully, "C'mon, Blue! It's not like Professor Oak will run out of pokémon. Don't make a big deal out of it."

He facepalms at that, "But the best pokémon will be taken, you know?"

I blink at that realization… that's actually a good point… "Eh!? You think!?"

"Of course, duh!"

I nod my head quickly, "Okay, then let's…" I blink as I notice Red isn't at my side. Scanning around, I finally spot him sitting at the edge of a lake. I start to approach him with fast steps, but almost trip mid-way. Thankfully, Blue held me by the arm, keeping me balanced.

"Watch your step, berry head!" He says with an exasperated tone, but I only respond to him with a grin of appreciation, which he returns with a huff of his own.

I sit beside Red by his left, while Blue stands by his right. His attention however remains fixated on on the crystalline surface of the lake, where a sole **POLIWAG **is swimming peacefully without a care in the world. I watch it closely, smiling at how cute it is.

Definitely one of the top cuties in my list, it's a water type resembling a blue, spherical tadpole, with large eyes, pink lips and thin tail, surrounded by a light blue semi transparent fin.

"Didn't know there were poliwags around here," Blue comments with interest, pocketing his hands, "Let's return here after we get some pokéballs."

Red pins him with a blank stare, yet he still nods his head.

My attention is however drawn to the lake, my eyes lost within for a moment when all sound fades abruptly.

…

I blink in surprise, turning to my friends, only to see they looked younger, like 4 years ago. I frown, unable to understand what was going on, but I ultimately decided it must be something related to my psychic abilities.

But… this is the first time I ever experienced **Retrocognition**! I remember Mister Rolando mentioning it's the opposite to my own precognition. I never asked him if someone could experience both types though…

Yet… seeing events of the past through visions, I mean, I'm seeing my own arms I can tell that I'm younger! My face feels smaller too, my legs… and my chest… I'm definitely the me of some years ago.

But… were we ever in this lake before?

However, when I turn to see the lake… I notice that our reflection on the pool of water _is _the current us… I don't get it…

Red's distant gaze seems to be focused on the horizon, a strange glint in it.

"Umm…" I begin, yet Blue speaks before I do.

"Something going on dude?" He asks our silent companion, and to our surprise, he responds almost instantly.

"…No matter what happens, we must live."

The younger version of Blue and myself watch him in awe and confusion, "Well, of course were going to do that, dude." He snickers, "It's not like we can do anything else, right? It's as simple as that."

Is this really a retrocognition? I mean, I feel in control of my body…

However, I can't help but giggle at Red's statement, which is a bit out of place, "Yeah, Red. I'm sure we'll live long happy lives!"

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Go to profile, **SEE**: Link in **RED**: **Chapter 01** Section: **Picture 03**

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Red's expression doesn't change in the slightest, his eyes still focused forward when he finally replies, his voice coming out as low, yet strong whisper.

"…Sometimes, the hardest things in life, are the simplest things to do."

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**Chapter 01: END**

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**Alright, finally, the main story begins next chapter, with our 14 year old Red as the focus. Blue is also 14 while Leaf is 15. **

**I know there are plenty of stories about the re-telling of Red's adventures(Or Ash's), but let me assure you my depiction will be one hell of a ride, and by that I mean, it will be Epic. Seeing how older they are already should prove as much indication, since it gives me an actual chance of addressing certain subjects that would make no sense, and wouldn't be morally correct in 10 year old children.**

**For those here, thanks for reading and I hope you will enjoy this story. **

**\- Frank**


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